Health Science Monitor

en Association Between Iranian Parental Literacy and Children’s Height and Weight: A Comprehensive Analysis نظام‌های سلامت عمومی، سیاست‌گذاری و اقتصاد سلامت Health Policy, Management, and Economics پژوهشي Research Article Background The health of children under five is a key indicator of societal well-being and is strongly linked to maternal literacy. This study aims to investigate the relationship between parental literacy and child health in Iran, utilizing refined econometric methods. Methods A total of 520 children aged 0-4 were randomly selected from 2,654 children born in the past 4 years in five different health centers in Urmia city. Data on the children’s health (height, weight, age) were collected along with socio-economic information about their parents to measure the HAZ (Height-for-Age Z-score) index. Two ordinary least squares regression models were used to assess the impact of parental factors on their children’s health status. Only variables that had previously demonstrated a statistically significant coefficient in univariate linear regression models were included in the final model. Results The mean HAZ index for the children was -0.78, with no statistically significant difference between genders. The variables of parental literacy years and urban living had a statistically significant positive effect on the children’s health status in both models. Specifically, for each additional year of education, the average child HAZ index increased by 0.095 and 0.057 in the models for mothers and fathers, respectively. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that parental literacy, particularly maternal literacy, plays a critical role in promoting and improving the health status of children. Therefore, investing in women’s literacy, particularly for those who are disadvantaged or have limited access to education, can be a highly effective and cost-effective strategy.   Children, Health status, Height for Age Z-score, Iran, Parents 179 187 http://hsm.umsu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-319-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Nishteman Moosa Khaneghah nishteman82.mousa@gmail.com 10031947532846004180 10031947532846004180 No Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran Ahmad Faramarzi ahmadfaramarzi97@yahoo.com 10031947532846004181 10031947532846004181 No Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran Hamidreza Farrokh-Eslamlou hamidfarrokh@gmail.com 10031947532846004182 10031947532846004182 No Reproductive Health Research Centre, School of Public Health, Clinical Research Institute, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran Hamed Zandian 10031947532846004183 10031947532846004183 No Associate Professor/ Senior Research Fellow in Health Economics, Centre for Public Health and Wellbeing, School of Health and Social Wellbeing, College of Health, Science and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK Cyrus Alinia siros_alinia@yahoo.com 10031947532846004184 10031947532846004184 Yes Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran