Table 1.
Demographic characteristics
| Demographics and health status | Cases (N = 104) | Controls (N = 117) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical characteristics | |||
| Age (months) | 50.3 (104) | 50.7 (117) | NS |
| Sex (% male) | 47.1 (104) | 53.9 (117) | NS |
| Height (cm) | 105.3 (78) | 106.3 (98) | NS |
| Weight (kg) | 15.0 (84) | 15.8 (98) | NS |
| Mid-upper arm circumference (cm) | 15.1 (87) | 15.4 (101) | NS |
| Abnormal MRI at 1 month (%) | 34.5 (87) | 17.3 (81) | 0.01 |
| Preadmission health problems | |||
| HIV+ (%) | 15.4 (104) | 7.1 (98) | 0.07 |
| Seizures (%) | 9.7 (103) | 4.3 (117) | NS |
| Malaria episode (%) | 29.9 (97) | 14.8 (108) | 0.01 |
| Other serious illness (%) | 45.4 (97) | 35.2 (108) | NS |
| Developmental problems (%) | 11.0 (100) | 13.3 (113) | NS |
| Family environment | |||
| Mother with < standard 5 education (%) | 43.4 (99) | 24.1 (108) | 0.003 |
| Father with < standard 5 education (%) | 29.7 (91) | 11.8 (102) | < 0.001 |
| Child is attending school (%) | 26.5 (102) | 31.9 (116) | NS |
| Mother working (%) | 64.4 (101) | 61.7 (107 | NS |
| Father working (%) | 91.7 (96) | 87.5 (104) | NS |
| One or both parents work as farmers (%) | 43.9 (98) | 22.0 (100) | 0.001 |
| Rudimentary housing characteristics | |||
| No electricity (%) | 86.5 (104) | 62.4 (117) | < 0.0001 |
| Well or surface water source (%) | 51.0 (104) | 33.3 (114) | 0.01 |
| Rudimentary or dirt floor (%) | 81.7 (104) | 66.7 (114) | 0.01 |
| Natural (thatch) roof (%) | 49.5 (103) | 27.4 (113) | 0.0008 |
| Pit latrine (%) | 98.1 (103) | 92.0 (112) | 0.04 |
HIV = human immunodeficiency virus; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging; NS = nonsignificant. For patient characteristic variables, numbers in parentheses reflect the number in the sample with nonmissing information for that analysis. Baseline MRI and anthropometric measures were not performed consistently at the 1-month visit until the 2013 season. Basic literacy and numeracy are achieved by most Malawians who complete the Standard 5 level of primary schooling.