Table 1.
Descriptive statistics for full sample and subsamples of children by maternal migration. Source: Benin DHS 2006.
| Full sample %/Mean (SD) |
Non-migrant %/Mean (SD) |
Migrated before child born %/Mean (SD) |
Migrated after child born %/Mean (SD) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ever-vaccination | 90.23 | 88.28 | 93.62* | 89.28 |
| Maternal migration | ||||
| Nonmigrant | 58.50 | |||
| Migrated before child born | 36.23 | |||
| Migrated after child born | 5.27 | |||
| Time between migration and child birth | 17.76 (13.98) | 102.44 (79.55) | ||
| Child characteristics | ||||
| Female | 49.49 | 49.56 | 50.59 | 50.02 |
| Child’s age in months | 28.50 (15.83) | 28.77 (15.84) | 34.49 (14.72)* | 27.19 (15.76)* |
| Sibship size | 4.05 (2.34) | 4.22 (2.42) | 3.22 (2.09)* | 3.90 (2.22)* |
| Mother’s age at child’s birth | 27.09 (6.37) | 26.92 (6.55) | 25.33 (6.17)* | 27.64 (6.04)* |
| Maternal characteristics | ||||
| Years of school | ||||
| Marital status | 1.25 (2.74) | 0.84 (2.25) | 1.91 (3.08)* | 1.79 (3.19)* |
| Monogamous (ref) | 55.78 | 52.20 | 61.95* | 61.62* |
| Polygynous | 40.01 | 43.52 | 29.20* | 34.97* |
| Never married | 2.03 | 2.01 | 3.98* | 1.78 |
| Widowed | 0.94 | 0.97 | 1.18 | 0.86 |
| Divorced/separated | 1.24 | 1.30 | 3.69* | 0.77* |
| Ethnicity | ||||
| Adja (ref) | 17.77 | 17.07 | 15.93 | 19.04* |
| Bariba | 9.71 | 13.38 | 4.87* | 3.91* |
| Dendi | 3.15 | 4.31 | 1.18* | 1.67* |
| Fon | 39.71 | 34.38 | 39.68 | 48.88* |
| Yoa/Lokpa | 4.12 | 2.94 | 7.96* | 5.65* |
| Betamaribe | 8.32 | 8.75 | 13.72* | 7.56* |
| Peulh | 6.55 | 9.23 | 2.65* | 2.28* |
| Yoruba | 10.14 | 9.38 | 13.57* | 10.41 |
| Other | 0.53 | 0.56 | 0.44 | 0.60 |
| Household & community characteristics | ||||
| Number of children five years and younger | 2.26 (1.33) | 2.44 (1.47) | 1.89 (1.13)* | 2.09 (1.09)* |
| Household wealth | ||||
| Poorest (ref) | 23.81 | 27.63 | 17.86* | 20.62* |
| Poor | 21.26 | 23.55 | 16.22* | 18.12* |
| Average | 20.80 | 21.86 | 16.37* | 19.21* |
| Rich | 19.15 | 17.70 | 22.71* | 19.21 |
| Richest | 14.98 | 9.26 | 26.84* | 22.84* |
| Rural birth community | 64.39 | 70.15 | 52.80* | 57.41* |
| Region of residence | ||||
| Alibori | 8.13 | 13.19 | 0.32* | 0.95* |
| Atakora | 9.48 | 11.43 | 11.08 | 6.16* |
| Atlantique | 11.29 | 8.74 | 18.22* | 14.33* |
| Borgou | 10.48 | 11.56 | 12.24 | 8.45* |
| Collines | 6.88 | 6.22 | 6.27 | 7.98* |
| Donga | 8.32 | 9.82 | 4.37* | 6.63 |
| Kouffo | 5.13 | 4.09 | 9.18* | 6.26* |
| Littoral | 6.15 | 3.94 | 4.81 | 9.91 |
| Mono | 6.46 | 6.78 | 6.85 | 5.82* |
| Quémé | 11.99 | 9.37 | 14.56* | 16.11* |
| Plataeu | 4.98 | 5.08 | 3.06* | 5.07 |
| Zou | 10.72 | 9.78 | 9.04 | 12.34* |
| Migrant mother’s origin community | ||||
| Abroad (ref) | 14.92 | 15.43 | ||
| City | 34.75 | 29.14 | ||
| Town | 20.16 | 18.49 | ||
| Countryside | 30.16 | 36.94 |
*
p < 0.05 from tests of equal means (t-test) or proportions (chi-square) compared to non-migrants.