Official data reveals increased overweight prevalence among children under 5 in 2023

AMMAN — The percentage of children under five who are overweight rose to 9 per cent in 2023 compared to 4 per cent recorded in 2012, according to the Department of Statistics (DoS).

The department's recently-launched 2023 Population and Family Health Survey revealed that the percentage of children under five with stunted growth remained stable at 8 per cent compared to the previous survey in 2012, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Tuesday.

The emaciation indicator has stabilized between 1997 and 2023 at 2 per cent for children under the age of five.

According to the survey, only 34 per cent of infants aged 0-23 months were breastfed within the first hour of birth.

Only 24 per cent of infants under the age of six months are breastfed, while 42 per cent of children aged 6-23 months receive diverse nutrition.

The DoS survey showed a decline in exclusive breastfeeding among children aged 0-5 months, reaching 24 per cent in 2023 compared to 39 per cent in 1990.

The results indicated that almost 33 per cent of children aged 6-59 months suffer from anemia, including 19 per cent suffering from mild anemia, 13 per cent suffering from moderate anemia, and less than 1 per cent suffering from severe anemia.

The prevalence of anemia among Jordanian children remained largely unchanged between 2002 and 2023, declining slightly from 34 per cent to 32 per cent, the DoS added.

The results also showed that there were 14 deaths per 1,000 live births, where the mortality rate for infants under the age of 12 months was one per 1,000 infants. 

The overall mortality rate for children under the age of five years was 15 deaths per 1,000 live births. The neonatal mortality rate was nine deaths per 1,000 live births, and the postnatal mortality rate was six deaths per 1,000 live births.

The neonatal mortality rate has decreased from 21 deaths per 1,000 live births to nine deaths per 1,000 live births, while the infant mortality rate has dropped from 34 to 14 deaths per 1,000 live births, the survey revealed. 

The mortality rate of children under the age of five years has declined from 39 to 15 deaths per 1,000 live births during the same period, according to the DoS survey.