Table 1.
Description of variables used in the study 1.
| Variables | Definition |
|---|---|
| Outcome | |
| Stunting | Height/length-for-age z score value 2.0 SD below the median based on the WHO 2006 Child Growth Standards. |
| Distal Determinants | |
| Gini coefficient | A coefficient calculated from the DHS household wealth index score indicating the level of concentration of wealth among households in a country. Possible values range from 0 (being an equal distribution) to 1 (a totally unequal distribution) with higher values indicating more unequal distribution with a lower proportion of households controlling more of the wealth in the country. |
| Total fertility rate | The average number of births women (15–49 years) would have by the time they reach age 50 years based on the current age-specific fertility rate during the 3 years preceding the survey (excluding 1–36 months before the survey). |
| Urbanization | Percentage of total population living in urban areas. |
| Female primary education coverage | Percentage of women (15–49 years) who attended any level of primary education. |
| Male secondary education coverage | Percentage of men (15–49 years) who attended any level of secondary education. |
| Women decision making power | Percentage of currently married women (15–49 years) who usually make final decisions (alone or jointly with their husband) about their own healthcare, large household purchases, and visits to family or relatives. |
| Women work opportunity | Percentage of women (15–49 years) who worked in the past 7 days (including women who did not work in the past 7 days, but who are regularly employed and were absent from work for leave, illness, vacation, or any other reason) or worked in the past 12 months, but not currently. |
| Intermediate Health and Related Service Determinants | |
| Improved sanitation facility coverage | Percentage of total households with improved sanitation following the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene. |
| Improved drinking water sources coverage | Percentage of total households with improved drinking water source following the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene. |
| Antenatal care follow-up with ≥4 visits coverage | Percentage of women with a live birth in the 5 years preceding the survey who received ≥ 4 antenatal care visits for the most recent birth. |
| Delivery at health facility coverage | Percentage of live births to interviewed women in the 5 years preceding the survey delivered in a health facility. |
| Iron supplementation during pregnancy coverage | Percentage of women with a birth in the 5 years preceding the survey who took iron tablets or syrup (given or bought) during the pregnancy for the most recent live birth. |
| Children with all 8 basic vaccinations coverage | Percentage of living children (12–35 months) who received BCG, 3 doses of DPT-containing vaccine, 3 doses of polio vaccine (excluding polio vaccine given at birth), and 1 dose of MCV at any time, according to vaccination card or mother’s report. |
| Proximal Determinants | |
| Initiation of breastfeeding in ≤1 day | Percentage of last-born children who were born in the 2 years preceding the survey put to the breast within one day of birth. |
| Median duration of exclusive breastfeeding | Median duration (in months) of exclusive breastfeeding among children born in the past three years. |
| Complementary feeding between ages 6–9 months | Percentage of children (6–8 months) who were both breastfed and received complementary food (solid or semi-solid foods) in the 24 h preceding the interview. |
| Prevalence of reported low birthweight | Percentage of live births to interviewed women in the 5 years preceding the survey where the mother’s estimated baby’s size at time of birth as smaller than average. |
| Prevalence of acute respiratory infection (ARI) | Percentage of living children (0–59 months) with symptoms of ARI at any time in the 2 weeks preceding the survey. |
| Prevalence of diarrhea | Percentage of living children (0–59 months) with diarrhea at any time in the 2 weeks preceding the survey. |
1 BCG, Bacille Calmette Guerin vaccine against tuberculosis; DPT, diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine; DHS, Demographic and Health Survey; MCV, Measles antigen-containing vaccine; SD, standard deviation; UNICEF, United Nations Children’s Fund; WHO, World Health Organization.