Table 1.
Socio-demographic characteristics of the study population†
| Variable | Total | Peri-urban (VT Capital & Province) | Rural (Xekong & Xayabuli Provinces) | p - value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households studied |
1,751 (100) |
1,330 (76) |
421 (24) |
- |
| People studied |
9,114 (100) |
6,532 (72) |
2,582 (28) |
- |
| Villagers who died during the 30 days before interview |
7 (0.07) |
5 (0.076) |
2 (0.077) |
0.99 |
| Female |
4,571 (50) |
3,243 (50) |
1,328 (51) |
0.12 |
| Median (IQR) age (years) |
23 (11–39) |
25 (13–41) |
17 (8–32) |
<0.001 |
| Adult > 15 years |
6,021 (66) |
4,643 (71) |
1,378 (53) |
<0.001 |
| Children ≤ 15 years |
3,093 (34) |
1,889 (29) |
1,204 (47) |
|
| Children < 5 years |
938 (10) |
554 (8) |
384 (15) |
<0.001 |
| Median (IQR) highest schooling years in household |
10 (5–11) |
11 (8–11) |
5 (2–5) |
<0.001 |
| Ethnicity |
|
|
|
|
| - Lao Loom |
5,346 (59) |
5,334 (82) |
12 (0.5) |
<0.001 |
| - Hmong |
1,168 (13) |
1,166 (18) |
2 (0.08) |
|
| - Prai |
1,714 (19) |
0 |
1,714 (66) |
|
| - Alak |
332 (4) |
0 |
332 (13) |
|
| - Taliang |
254 (3) |
0 |
254 (10) |
|
| - Dakkang |
268 (3) |
1 (0.01) |
267 (10) |
|
| - Mixed |
5 (0.1) |
0 |
5 (0.2) |
|
| - Others |
27 (0.3) |
1 (0.01) |
26 (1) |
|
| Wealth index* |
|
|
|
|
| - Poorest |
2,098 (23) |
29 (0.5) |
1,797 (70) |
<0.001 |
| - Second |
1,824 (20) |
1,043 (16) |
781 (30) |
|
| - Middle |
1,730 (19) |
1,825 (28) |
1 (0.04) |
|
| - Fourth |
1,735 (19) |
1,815 (28) |
3 (0.1) |
|
| - Richest | 1,727 (19) | 1,820 (28) | 0 |
†Data shown as number (%) unless indicated.
* Principal components analysis was performed by using information on the ownership of household goods and amenities (assets) to assign weights to each household asset and obtain wealth scores for each household in the sample. The assets used in these calculations were as follows: electricity, clock, radio, electric fan, mattress, black and white television, color television, CD/VCD player, water pump, bed, DVD player, satellite, mobile telephone, telephone, refrigerator, air conditioner, washing machine, sofa, watch, bicycle, oxcart, motorbike, tractor, tuk-tuk, car/truck, engine boat, type of poorest quintile to the richest quintile, based on the wealth scores of households they were living in. The wealth index is assumed to capture the underlying long-term wealth through information on the household assets, and is intended to produce a ranking of households by wealth, from poorest to richest. The wealth index does not provide information on absolute poverty, current income or expenditure levels, and the wealth scores calculated are applicable for only the particular data set they are based on. Further information on the construction of the wealth index can be found in Rutstein and Johnson, 2004, and Filmer and Pritchett, 2001.