Table 2.
Summary statistics of variables used for analysis
| Variables | 1993 | 1998 | 2003 | 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | st-dev | Mean | st-dev | Mean | st-dev | Mean | st-dev | |
| Duration | 16.050 | (10.745) | 27.153 | (17.837) | 26.751 | (17.597) | 26.782 | (18.088) |
| Household level | ||||||||
| Wealth status | 2.971 | (1.430) | 2.940 | (1.422) | 2.934 | (1.402) | 2.990 | (1.423) |
| Poorest | 0.218 | (0.413) | 0.214 | (0.410) | 0.207 | (0.405) | 0.208 | (0.406) |
| Poor | 0.183 | (0.387) | 0.200 | (0.400) | 0.202 | (0.401) | 0.194 | (0.395) |
| Middle | 0.208 | (0.406) | 0.215 | (0.411) | 0.235 | (0.424) | 0.199 | (0.399) |
| Richer | 0.191 | (0.393) | 0.170 | (0.376) | 0.162 | (0.368) | 0.200 | (0.400) |
| Richest | 0.199 | (0.399) | 0.199 | (0.399) | 0.194 | (0.396) | 0.200 | (0.400) |
| Mothers’ age (years) | 28.651 | (6.783) | 30.083 | (7.150) | 30.498 | (7.140) | 30.084 | (7.019) |
| Teenage mother | 0.127 | (0.333) | 0.072 | (0.259) | 0.069 | (0.254) | 0.071 | (0.257) |
| 20–29 | 0.495 | (0.500) | 0.478 | (0.500) | 0.447 | (0.497) | 0.470 | (0.499) |
| 30–39 | 0.351 | (0.477) | 0.359 | (0.480) | 0.395 | (0.489) | 0.375 | (0.484) |
| Over 40 | 0.084 | (0.278) | 0.131 | (0.338) | 0.124 | (0.330) | 0.115 | (0.319) |
| Mothers’ education | ||||||||
| No education | 0.397 | (0.489) | 0.468 | (0.499) | 0.475 | (0.499) | 0.378 | (0.485) |
| Primary | 0.547 | (0.498) | 0.181 | (0.385) | 0.214 | (0.410) | 0.241 | (0.428) |
| Secondary or higher | 0.055 | (0.229) | 0.351 | (0.477) | 0.311 | (0.463) | 0.380 | (0.486) |
| Fathers’ education | ||||||||
| No education | 0.367 | (0.482) | 0.402 | (0.490) | 0.459 | (0.498) | 0.388 | (0.487) |
| Primary | 0.463 | (0.499) | 0.080 | (0.272) | 0.083 | (0.276) | 0.087 | (0.282) |
| Secondary or higher | 0.170 | (0.375) | 0.517 | (0.500) | 0.457 | (0.498) | 0.525 | (0.499) |
| Improved water | 0.508 | (0.500) | 0.544 | (0.498) | 0.594 | (0.491) | 0.768 | (0.422) |
| Improved sanitation | 0.653 | (0.476) | 0.589 | (0.492) | 0.587 | (0.493) | 0.531 | (0.499) |
| Individual level | ||||||||
| Male | 0.514 | (0.500) | 0.492 | (0.500) | 0.507 | (0.500) | 0.510 | (0.500) |
| Birth order | 3.543 | (2.254) | 3.573 | (2.370) | 3.612 | (2.341) | 3.382 | (2.216) |
| Individual level | ||||||||
| Preceding birth interval (months) | ||||||||
| Below 24 | 0.096 | (0.294) | 0.104 | (0.306) | 0.104 | (0.305) | 0.106 | (0.308) |
| 24–36 | 0.278 | (0.448) | 0.260 | (0.439) | 0.257 | (0.437) | 0.236 | (0.425) |
| Above 36 | 0.420 | (0.494) | 0.408 | (0.492) | 0.418 | (0.493) | 0.429 | (0.495) |
| Number of children aged ≤5 | 1.837 | (0.962) | 1.764 | (0.992) | 1.779 | (0.941) | 1.783 | (0.981) |
| Twin | 0.047 | (0.211) | 0.043 | (0.204) | 0.040 | (0.196) | 0.044 | (0.205) |
| Community level | ||||||||
| Urban | 0.279 | (0.448) | 0.216 | (0.411) | 0.271 | (0.445) | 0.334 | (0.472) |
| Rural | 0.721 | (0.448) | 0.784 | (0.411) | 0.729 | (0.445) | 0.666 | (0.472) |
| Regional distribution | ||||||||
| Southern Belt | 0.289 | (0.453) | 0.288 | (0.453) | 0.242 | (0.429) | 0.259 | (0.438) |
| Eastern-Volta | 0.216 | (0.412) | 0.197 | (0.398) | 0.153 | (0.361) | 0.169 | (0.375) |
| Ashanti-Brong | 0.277 | (0.448) | 0.204 | (0.403) | 0.270 | (0.444) | 0.236 | (0.424) |
| Northern Belt | 0.218 | (0.413) | 0.310 | (0.463) | 0.334 | (0.472) | 0.336 | (0.472) |
| Religion | ||||||||
| No religion | 0.149 | (0.356) | 0.099 | (0.299) | 0.078 | (0.268) | 0.050 | (0.218) |
| Christianity | 0.672 | (0.470) | 0.636 | (0.481) | 0.657 | (0.475) | 0.661 | (0.474) |
| Muslim | 0.127 | (0.332) | 0.141 | (0.348) | 0.207 | (0.405) | 0.201 | (0.401) |
| Traditional | 0.051 | (0.221) | 0.097 | (0.296) | 0.057 | (0.232) | 0.086 | (0.280) |
| Others | 0.002 | (0.048) | 0.027 | (0.162) | 0.001 | (0.032) | 0.002 | (0.048) |