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. 2024 Jan 19;24:56. doi: 10.1186/s12887-024-04551-2

Table 2.

Relative Risks for Prevalent MAM by Baseline Participant Characteristics (n = 4453)

Univariate Multivariate
Variables Prevalence Ratio P value Prevalence Ratio P value
Country
 India Ref Ref
 Tanzania 0.41 (0.35, 0.49)  < 0.001 0.37 (0.30, 0.44)  < 0.001
Maternal age > 25 years
 No Ref Ref
 Yes 0.82 (0.70, 0.95) 0.008 0.92 (0.80, 1.07) 0.30
Maternal education > 7 years
 No Ref
 Yes 0.94 (0.80, 1.09) 0.39
Child age, month
 6- < 12 Ref Ref
 12 to < 24 0.85 (0.71, 1.02 0.07 0.83 (0.70, 0.99) 0.04
 24 to < 60 0.57 (0.48, 0.69)  < 0.001 0.46 (0.38, 0.56)  < 0.001
Child sex
 Female Ref
 Male 0.96 (0.83, 1.12) 0.61
Household wealth index above median
 No Ref Ref
 Yes 0.78 (0.67, 0.91) 0.002 0.79 (0.68, 0.92) 0.002
Breast-feeding before enrolment
 No Ref
 Yes 1.33 (1.14, 1.55)  < 0.001
Duration of diarrhoea before enrolment
  <  = 24 h Ref Ref
 25 to 48 h 0.86 (0.60, 1.23) 0.40 0.79 (0.55, 1.13) 0.20
 49 to < 72 h 0.67 (0.44, 1.02) 0.06 0.93 (0.60, 1.42) 0.72
Dysentery
 No Ref
 Yes 0.81 (0.52, 1.26) 0.35
Dehydration
 No Ref
 Yes 1.35 (0.76, 2.37) 0.30
Axillary temperature > 38 °C
 No Ref
 Yes 0.86 (0.52, 1.41) 0.55
Observed respiratory rate > 40 breaths/min
 No Ref Ref
 Yes 0.61 (0.41, 0.93) 0.02 0.72 (0.47, 1.10) 0.13
Cough or difficulty breathing
 No Ref Ref
 Yes 1.29 (1.10, 1.51) 0.001 1.04 (0.89, 1.22) 0.60
Previous use of antibiotic agent
 No Ref
 Yes 1.26 (0.80, 1.98) 0.32
Plasma zinc concentration at enrolment < 65 µg/dl
 No Ref Ref
 Yes 0.79 (0.59, 1.04) 0.09 1.13 (0.86, 1.49) 0.38
Improved water
 No Ref
 Yes 0.66 (0.34, 1.29) 0.23
 Improved sanitation
 No Ref
 Yes 1.24 (0.43, 3.64) 0.69

MAM was defined as WHZ/WLZ ≥  − 3 and <  − 2 or MUAC ≥ 11.5 cm and < 12.5 cm

Children with SAM (WHZ < -3 or MUAC < 11.5 cm) were excluded from the analysis

Variables with P < 0.10 in univariate analysis were included in multivariate analysis. These variables were study site, maternal age > 25, child age in months, household wealth index above median, duration of diarrhoea before enrolment, observed respiratory rate > 40 breaths/min, cough or difficulty breathing and plasma zinc concentration at enrolment < 65 µg/dl