Mothers’ Knowledge and Perception toward Short Stature of Their Children and Its Effect on Quality of Life

Short stature is a global problem in children. It's important to make early identification and treatment according their causes with participation of parents in the treatment plan to improve their quality of life of their children. The study aimed to assess mothers' knowledge and perception toward short stature of their children and its effect on quality of life. Subjects and Method : A descriptive research design was used. Setting: It was carried out at Pediatric Endocrine Outpatient Clinic of Tanta Main University Hospital. Subjects: All of mothers and their children (106) with short stature. The study was conducted at pediatric endocrine outpatient clinic of Tanta Main University Hospital. Three Tools were used to collect the required data: Tool I : Structure Questionnaire sheet of mothers’ knowledge, Tool II : Mothers' perception regarding short stature and Tool III: Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth. Results revealed that mothers had low level of knowledge and perception and half of children had poor quality of life. The study concluded that short stature children had poor quality of life that prevent him from doing things, exposed to negative comparison, and affect on their parents. The study recommended that establishing educational programs for mothers to improve their knowledge toward short stature of their children.