Table 1.
Mean, standard deviation and description of all variables
| Variable | Mean | SD | Description |
| Stunting (WHO) | 0.36 | 0.48 | Height-for-age z-score<-2SD of WHO population (1-0) |
| Z-score (WHO) | 1.58 | 1.27 | Height for age z-score (based upon WHO) |
| Stunting (NCHS) | 0.29 | 0.45 | Height-for-age z-score<-2SD of NCHS population (1-0) |
| Z-score (NCHS) | 1.41 | 1.17 | Height for age z-score (based upon NCHS) |
| Breastfeeding | 16.98 | 8.34 | Duration of breastfeeding (in months) |
| Age of child | |||
| ≤ 6 months | 0.12 | 0.33 | Age of child split into 3 categories: ≤ 6 months; 6–12 months, >12 months |
| 6–12 months | 0.12 | 0.32 | |
| > 12 months | 0.76 | 0.43 | |
| Size of child | |||
| Size large | 0.41 | 0.49 | Size of child at birth in 4 categories: very large, large, normal, small, very small |
| Size normal | 0.41 | 0.49 | |
| Size small | 0.12 | 0.32 | |
| Size very small | 0.06 | 0.24 | |
| Sex of child | 0.50 | 0.50 | Sex of child: male(1), female (0) |
| Region | |||
| Upper | 0.09 | 0.29 | region of residence: Upper (Upper East and Upper West), Middle (Ashanti and Brong Ahafo), South (Western, Central, Volta and Eastern), Accra, Northern [55] |
| Middle | 0.30 | 0.46 | |
| South | 0.36 | 0.48 | |
| Accra | 0.11 | 0.31 | |
| Northern | 0.14 | 0.34 | |
| Urban | 0.33 | 0.47 | Urban location (1), rural location (0) |
| Wealth | |||
| Poor | 0.39 | 0.49 | Wealth groups (poor) based upon principal component analysis. The wealth indicator is estimated on household level and combines the following assets: electricity, radio, TV, fridge, bike, motor, car, phone and the type of the flooring material [60]. |
| Middle | 0.32 | 0.47 | |
| Rich | 0.29 | 0.45 | |
| Toilet | 0.70 | 0.46 | Having a toilet (flush toilet, traditional pit toilet, ventilated improved pit latrine) (1-0) |
| Water | 0.61 | 0.49 | Whether the household has access to safe water available (1-0). The following sources of water supply were regarded as safe water: piped water (piped into dwelling, piped into yard, plot, or public tap); water from protected well |
| Twoplus | 0.59 | 0.49 | Whether there are more than two under-fives in the household (1-0) |
| Riskintb | 0.10 | 0.30 | Whether there were less than 24 months between the child's birth and the birth of the previous child (1-0) |
| Married | 0.91 | 0.29 | Whether the child's mother is married or living together (1-0) |
| Mother's education | |||
| No or incomplete | 0.56 | 0.50 | Mother's education level split into 3 categories: no or incomplete primary, primary and incomplete secondary, secondary and higher |
| Primary | 0.40 | 0.49 | |
| Secondary and higher | 0.04 | 0.20 | |
| Health services index | |||
| Healthlow | 0.33 | 0.47 | Use of health services (low, moderate, high) estimated by principal component analysis. The indicator combines skilled birth attendance, antenatal care and proportion of recommended vaccinations [45]. The age schedule from the Expanded Program on Immunization set by the WHO was used: BCG at birth, DPT and Polio at 2, 3 and 4 months and measles at 9 months. |
| Healthmod | 0.32 | 0.46 | |
| Healthhigh | 0.31 | 0.46 | |
| Mother's age at birth | |||
| <20 | 0.11 | 0.31 | Mother's age at birth in years split into 3 categories: <20, 20–39, >39 |
| 20–39 | 0.81 | 0.39 | |
| >39 | 0.08 | 0.27 | |
| Mother's occupation | |||
| Prof, tech, man, cler, sales, service | 0.32 | 0.47 | Professional, technical, managerial, clerical, sales, services; agriculture; manual; not working |
| Agriculture | 0.44 | 0.50 | |
| Manual | 0.14 | 0.35 | |
| Not working | 0.10 | 0.30 | |
| Observations | 3061 | ||
Reference categories for categorical variables used in the regression model are in bold.