Parental Perception of Short Stature Versus Actual Stature of Their Children

Abstract

Background: Parental perception of a child's height plays a critical role in growth monitoring and early identification of growth disorders. However, subjective assessments may not align with standardized clinical measurements, potentially delaying diagnosis and intervention. Socio-demographic factors, particularly parental education, may influence the accuracy of these perceptions. Objective: To evaluate the concordance between parental perception of child height and actual height based on standardized growth charts, and to assess the impact of parental education on perception accuracy. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a tertiary care pediatric outpatient department, including 120 children aged 5–15 years and their biological parents. Parental perception of height was collected via structured questionnaire, categorizing children as “short,” “average,” or “tall.” Actual height was measured using a stadiometer and classified using WHO growth percentiles. Data were analyzed using SPSS v26.0 with chi-square tests, Pearson correlation, and odds ratios to assess associations. Results: While 75.0% of children had normal stature, only 62.5% were perceived as average. Among short-stature children, 33.3% were misclassified. Higher parental education significantly improved perception accuracy (p = 0.032; OR for higher education: 3.99, 95% CI: 1.28–12.42). A moderate positive correlation (r = 0.56, p < 0.001) was found between actual height percentile and perception score. Conclusion: Parental perception often deviates from objective height assessments, especially among less-educated caregivers. Targeted education on growth standards may enhance early detection of pediatric growth concerns. Keywords: child growth, parental perception, short stature, height measurement, growth charts, pediatric assessment, health literacy.