Table 1.
Household characteristics and nutritional status of women of child-bearing age in rural Zambia.
| Frequency | Mean ± SD or % | 95% Confidence Interval | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Household characteristics (n = 523) |
|||
| Level of education attained | |||
| Never attended school | 79 | 15.1 | 12.4, 18.4 |
| Primary | 305 | 58.3 | 54.1, 62.1 |
| Secondary | 127 | 24.3 | 20.9, 27.9 |
| Post-secondary | 12 | 2.3 | 1.1, 3.4 |
| Main occupational status | |||
| Crop production | 295 | 56.4 | 51.8, 60.8 |
| Other jobs | 228 | 43.6 | 39.4, 47.8 |
| Own a mosquito net | |||
| No | 166 | 31.7 | 27.7, 35.5 |
| Yes | 357 | 68.3 | 64.5, 72.3 |
| Characteristics of women | |||
| Age, years (n = 523; 27.6 ± 8.7 years) | |||
| 15–19 | 109 | 20.8 | 17.6, 24.5 |
| 20–29 | 217 | 41.5 | 37.1, 45.9 |
| 30–39 | 136 | 26.0 | 22.2, 30.0 |
| 40–49 | 61 | 11.7 | 9.2, 14.4 |
| Marital status (n = 523) | |||
| Married/living with a man | 368 | 70.4 | 66.5, 74.4 |
| Not in union | 155 | 29.6 | 25.6, 33.5 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 (n = 522) 1 | 23.0 ± 3.2 | 22.8, 23.3 | |
| Underweight (<18.4) | 18 | 3.4 | 1.9, 5.0 |
| Normal (18.5–24.9) | 396 | 75.9 | 71.8, 79.9 |
| Overweight/obese (≥ 25) | 108 | 20.7 | 17.2, 24.5 |
| Iron status (n = 146) | |||
| Hemoglobin, g/L | |||
| ˂115 | 12 | 8.2 | 4.1, 13.0 |
| ≥115 | 134 | 91.8 | 87.0, 95.9 |
| Women dietary diversity score (mean ± SD; n = 523) | 3.75 ± 1.11 | ||
| Women dietary diversity score | |||
| ≥ 5 | 122 | 23.3 | 19.7, 27.0 |
| ˂ 5 | 401 | 76.7 | 73.0, 80.3 |
1 Height was mis-recorded for one subject; therefore, body mass index (BMI) was calculated for one less woman.