The increasing concern about height among normal children and their families aggravates the burden on medical resources and the potential for growth hormone abuse.

This study aims to explore the reasons for seeking medical attention in endocrine clinics among families with children of normal height who feel short stature and their demand for non-medical interventions, which can provide insights for developing targeted intervention measures for families with children of normal height.

Purposive sampling method was used in this study, and the sample size was determined based on the principle of information saturation. From April to July 2024, parents who were admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital, with a complaint of "perceived short stature" and seeking growth hormone therapy but whose children were medically diagnosed with normal height, were collected for semi-structured in-depth personal interviews. The interview outline focused on the reasons, goals and non-medical interventions of children with normal height in endocrinology department, and the data were analyzed by the thematic framework analysis.

This study ultimately included 24 families, comprising 28 individuals. The age range of the interviewees was 30 to 53 years, with 10 males and 18 females. The main reasons for parents bringing their children to seek medical attention are as follows: socio-cultural factors (social pressures and expectations, educational competitive pressures, media influences, relationships and social comparisons, cultural values, etc.), knowledge and information factors (misunderstanding of the role of growth hormone, recommendations of medical institutions and doctors, pollyanna attitude towards medicine), parental factors (personal emotions and pressures of parents, herd mentality, parental responsibility), and children's factors (occupation planning, consideration of genetic factors, marriage and childbearing considerations, children's mental health, etc.). The goals of parents include their children's height reach or exceed the average level. Parents often attempt self-interventions such as diet, sleep, and exercise, but adherence issues arise during implementation. The primary channels for parents to obtain medical information include healthcare professionals, friends and family, as well as online media. Parents have a great need for information regarding professional knowledge on growth and development, selection of nutritional supplements, and non-pharmacological therapies.

This study uncovers the multifaceted reasons why parents of children with normal height seek medical attention in endocrine clinics to improve their children's height, includes socio-cultural factors, knowledge and information factors, parental and children factors. Moreover, it is not enough for such families to seek information on non-medical interventions themselves, which reminds us that it is significant to develop personalized non-medical interventions for them.

非矮小儿童及其家庭对身高问题的关注日益增加，增加了医疗资源负担和生长激素滥用的可能。

探索因担心身材矮小于内分泌科就诊但身高正常的儿童家庭的就医原因及非医疗干预需求分析，为正常身高儿童家庭制订针对性的干预措施提供参考。

本研究采用目的抽样法，样本量基于信息饱和原则确定，于2024年4—7月，收集于北京儿童医院就诊，主诉"自觉身材矮小，需要生长激素干预治疗"，但经医学诊断评估身高正常的孩子家长，进行半结构式个人深入访谈。访谈提纲围绕着身高正常儿童内分泌科就诊原因、就诊目标及非医疗干预等，并采用主题框架分析法进行资料分析。

本研究最终纳入24组家庭，28名家长。受访对象年龄为30~53岁，其中男10名、女18名。家长带儿童就医的主要原因包括：社会文化因素（社会压力和期望、教育竞争压力、媒体影响、亲朋关系和社会比较以及文化价值观等）、知识和信息因素（误解生长激素的作用、医疗机构和医生建议、对医学盲目乐观的态度）、家长因素（家长的个人情绪和压力、从众心理、家长责任）、孩子因素（职业规划、遗传因素的考虑、婚育考虑、孩子心理健康）等。就诊目标包括身高达正常标准即可与身高需超过平均水平。家长通常会尝试饮食、睡眠和运动等自行干预方式，但实施过程中存在依从性问题。家长获取医疗信息的主要渠道包括医疗专业人士、亲朋好友以及网络媒体等。家长对生长发育相关的专业知识、营养补充剂的选择以及非医疗干预方式等方面存在较大的信息需求。

本研究揭示了身高正常儿童家庭就诊内分泌科的多层面原因，主要包括社会压力和期望、教育竞争压力、媒体影响、对生长激素作用的误解等，此外，现有的非医疗干预信息未能充分满足此类家庭的具体需求，本文为其制订个性化非医疗干预措施，促进儿童健康发展提供了依据。