Table 1.

Characteristics of the three study Regions in Ghana.

Characteristics	Region
	Central	Volta	Northern
Total population (2010 national census)	2,201,863a	2,118,252b	2,479,461c
Mean household size, number of persons	4a	4.2b	7.7c
Population living below the poverty line ($1.83 per day), %d	18.8	33.8	50.4
Agricultural households engaged in livestock rearing, %	34.9a	3.9b	30.0c
Agricultural households engaged in fish farming, %	0.2a	0.2b	0.1c
Anemia (chiuldren under age 5), %e	85.4	79.5	82.0
Study Districts	1.Gomoa East 2.Twifo-Hemang-Lower Denkyira	1.Hohoe 2.Keta 3.Kpando	1.Central Gonja 2.East Mamprusi 3.Karaga
Study communities	n = 4	n = 6	n = 6
Major ecological zone	Coastal savannah	Savannah-forest transition	Guinea savannah
Number of growing seasons	2 seasons; a major and minor rainy season	2 seasons; a major and minor rainy season	1 season; a single and relatively short rainy season
Major livelihood activities	Farming, fishing, hunting, livestock rearing	Farming, fishing, hunting, livestock rearing	Farming, livestock rearing

Data Sources.

^aGhana Statistical Service (2013a, p.22, 38, 112).

^bGhana Statistical Service (2013c, p.24, 115, 124).

^cGhana Statistical Service (2013b, p.24, 38, 91).

^dGhana Statistical Service (2014, p.14, p.14).

^eEwusie et al. (2014, p.7); Children under age 5 with hemoglobin level less than 11.0 g/dl were considered anemic in this cited study. The cut-off values for the various levels of severity were: <7.0 g/dl for severe anemia, 7.0 g/dl-9.9 g/dl for moderate anemia, and 10.0 g/dl-10.9 g/dl for mild anemia.