Table 2.
Respondents’ demographic characteristics (n=6625)
| Characteristic | Mean | SD |
| Age | ||
| Woman’s age at delivery | 26 | 6.56 |
| Partner age | 32 | 8.08 |
| n | % | |
| Urban | 814 | 12.3 |
| Ethnicity | ||
| Chewa | 1890 | 28.6 |
| Lomwe | 1167 | 17.7 |
| Yao | 914 | 13.8 |
| Ngoni | 826 | 12.5 |
| Tumbuka | 670 | 10.1 |
| Sena | 350 | 5.3 |
| Tonga | 208 | 3.1 |
| Nkhonde | 109 | 1.6 |
| Other | 474 | 7.2 |
| Religion | ||
| Christian, other denomination | 2846 | 43.0 |
| Catholic | 1133 | 17.1 |
| Muslim | 943 | 14.2 |
| Church of Central Africa Presbyterian | 875 | 13.2 |
| Seventh Day Adventist | 377 | 5.7 |
| No religion | 236 | 3.6 |
| Anglican | 180 | 2.7 |
| Other religion | 35 | 0.5 |
| Education | ||
| None | 680 | 10.3 |
| Primary | 4669 | 70.5 |
| Secondary | 1198 | 18.1 |
| Higher | 77 | 1.2 |
| Literacy | ||
| Can read | 4444 | 67.1 |
| Cannot read | 2158 | 32.7 |
| Blind or visually impaired | 3 | 0.05 |
| Missing | 20 | 0.003 |
| Wealth | ||
| Poorest | 1514 | 22.9 |
| Poor | 1473 | 22.2 |
| Middle | 1407 | 21.2 |
| Rich | 1164 | 17.6 |
| Richest | 1067 | 16.1 |
| Marital status | ||
| Not currently married | 1048 | 15.8 |
| Pregnancy | ||
| Primiparous | 1620 | 24.5 |
| Multiple | 151 | 2.3 |
| Unintended | 2886 | 43.6 |
| Mistimed | 2231 | 33.7 |
| Unwanted | 655 | 9.9 |
| Antenatal care | ||
| Attended ≥1 antenatal care visit | 6591 | 99.5 |
| Attended ≥4 antenatal care visits | 3022 | 45.6 |
| Delivery risk | ||
| 0 risk factors | 2152 | 32.5 |
| 1 risk factor | 3062 | 46.2 |
| 2 risk factors | 929 | 14.0 |
| 3 risk factors | 465 | 7.0 |
| 4 risk factors | 17 | 0.3 |
| 5 risk factors | 0 | 0.0 |
| Caesarean delivery predetermined | 105 | 1.6 |
Note that delivery risk was calculated from five MES items for woman’s last pregnancy. Number of risk factors that each woman reported. Risk factors included maternal age <19 years, incomplete antenatal care (<4 visits), primiparity, giving birth to multiples (eg, twins) and giving birth to a very small neonate (<2500 g, or a neonate described as very small if no birth weight data).
MES, Millennium Development Goal Endline Survey.