Table 2. Characteristics of the study population.
| Characteristics of children | Number | Percentage % |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 542 | 100.0 |
| Birth weight§ | ||
| <1.5 kg (ELBW)* | 15 | 2.8 |
| <2.5 kg (LBW)* | 96 | 17.7 |
| ≥2.5 kg (NBW)* | 446 | 82.3 |
| School type | ||
| Public | 435 | 80.3 |
| Private | 107 | 19.7 |
| Place of residence | ||
| Muscat | 436 | 80.4 |
| A’Dhahirah | 106 | 19.6 |
| Gender | ||
| Boy | 260 | 48.0 |
| Girl | 282 | 52.0 |
| Age (years) | ||
| 7–9 | 372 | 68.6 |
| 10–11 | 170 | 31.4 |
| Mean | 8.9 | |
| Birth order | ||
| 1 | 116 | 21.4 |
| 2–4 | 274 | 50.6 |
| 5+ | 152 | 28.0 |
| Mean | 3.6 | |
| Birth interval | ||
| <2 years | 72 | 13.3 |
| ≥2 years | 470 | 86.7 |
| No. of children in family | ||
| 1–2 | 173 | 31.9 |
| 3–4 | 187 | 34.5 |
| 5+ | 182 | 33.6 |
| Mean | 4.0 | |
| Economic status | ||
| Low-income | 115 | 21.2 |
| Middle-high income | 427 | 78.8 |
| Mother’s education | ||
| No education | 85 | 15.7 |
| Less than secondary | 137 | 25.3 |
| Secondary and above | 320 | 59.0 |
| Mother’s employment | ||
| House-wife | 395 | 72.9 |
| Employed | 147 | 27.1 |
| Father’s education | ||
| No education | 47 | 8.7 |
| Less than secondary | 96 | 17.7 |
| Secondary and above | 399 | 73.6 |
§ Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) and low birth weight (LBW) are overlapping and the percentages of all categories cannot be added to 100.
* NBW: normal birth weight.