Table. Summary of Study Variablesa.
| Variables | No. of observations | No. of countries | Mean (SD) [range] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicators of malnutrition, % | |||
| Stunting | 320 502 | 57 | 21.1 (8.8) [6.1-42.3] |
| Wasting | 320 736 | 57 | 6.9 (5.1) [0.9-22.3] |
| Underweight | 320 223 | 57 | 18.2 (10.9) [2.2-43.3] |
| Overweight | 320 736 | 57 | 4.2 (2.8) [1.0-12.6] |
| Obesity | 320 736 | 57 | 1.2 (0.9) [0.1-4.2] |
| Dietary diversity failure | 220 230 | 36 | 79.3 (11.8) [41.9-93.9] |
| Immediate determinants, % | |||
| Delayed breastfeeding initiation | 335 927 | 55 | 42.3 (16.8) [13.9-79.0] |
| No vitamin A supplementation | 352 822 | 45 | 48.0 (16.7) [9.4-87.8] |
| No iodized salt use | 203 911 | 16 | 21.1 (23.5) [4.4-93.5] |
| Incomplete course of vaccination | 391 930 | 56 | 55.3 (14.6) [29.4-100.0] |
| Incidence of infectious diseases | 365 718 | 57 | 51.7 (24.2) [12.4-100.0] |
| No consumption of oral rehydration solution despite diarrhea | 391 259 | 55 | 10.7 (5.5) [1.2-26.9] |
| No care seeking for suspected pneumonia despite cough | 377 784 | 56 | 8.2 (5.5) [1.3-29.7] |
| High indoor pollution through solid cooking fuels | 335 950 | 47 | 70.8 (33.2) [0.0-99.9] |
| Underlying determinants, % | |||
| No access to safe drinking water | 369 172 | 57 | 23.2 (15.7) [1.1-61.1] |
| No access to improved sanitation facilities | 365 187 | 57 | 41.0 (25.0) [0.0-88.6] |
| Unsafe practices for child’s stool disposal | 269 374 | 41 | 50.9 (21.1) [9.6-84.6] |
| Inadequate antenatal care | 338 202 | 57 | 34.1 (20.0) [2.3-74.8] |
| No skilled birth attendant | 400 643 | 58 | 26.8 (21.5) [0.0-87.0] |
| Unsatisfied family planning needs | 224 700 | 56 | 42.8 (20.7) [2.4-84.4] |
| Maternal child marriage | 383 110 | 57 | 40.0 (17.3) [8.1-80.2] |
| No maternal education | 380 505 | 58 | 26.4 (23.8) [0.0-85.3] |
| Low maternal height | 325 219 | 56 | 3.4 (5.0) [0.1-28.9] |
| Low maternal BMI | 301 183 | 56 | 8.9 (6.4) [0.4-28.9] |
| Per-capita GDP, US $ | |||
| Per-capita GDP in PPP | 381 781 | 58 | 5195.06 (4723.97) [785.07-23 118.23] |
| 5-y Lagged per-capita GDP in PPP | 381 781 | 58 | 5117.01 (4657.50) [800.23-21 926.87] |
| Control variables | |||
| Sex, % | |||
| Female | 381 781 | 58 | 49.3 (1.01) [46.2-51.8] |
| Male | 381 781 | 58 | 50.7 (1.01) [48.2-53.8] |
| Child age, mo | 381 781 | 58 | 17.00 (0.48) [15.95-18.19] |
| Birth order | 379 931 | 58 | 1.09 (0.05) [1.00-1.17] |
| Maternal age at birth, y | 381 781 | 58 | 26.89 (1.16) [23.55-29.92] |
| Urban, % | 381 781 | 58 | 35.9 (14.7) [9.1-78.8] |
| Household size, No. of members | 381 781 | 58 | 6.92 (1.88) [5.11-16.03] |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared); GDP, gross domestic product; PPP, purchasing power parity.
a
All statistics are based on the latest available Demographic and Health Surveys per country (conducted between 1999 and 2021). Sampling weights were used for aggregation at the country level.