Table 3.

Baseline characteristics of study population and its association with submicroscopic Plasmodium infection (PI)

Variable	N (%)	Submicroscopic PI, n (% = n/N)	P-value
Age-group (months)	898 (100)	200 (22.3)
6–23	326 (36.3)	59 (18.0)	0.02
24–59	572 (63.7)	141 (24.7)
Gender	898 (100)	200 (22.3)
Male	434 (48.3)	115 (26.5)	0.004
Female	464 (51.7)	85 (18.3)
Education level of the head of household	882 (100)	197 (22.3)
Illiterate	291 (33.0)	54 (18.6)	0.15
Primary	295 (33.4)	73 (24.7)
Secondary and over	296 (33.6)	70 (23.6)
Household size	898 (100)	200 (22.3)
1–5	305 (34.0)	68 (22.3)	0.54
6–10	508 (56.6)	117 (23.0)
> 10	85 (9.4)	15 (17.6)
History of complementary food before 6 months of age	989 (100)	200 (22.3)
Yes	421 (46.9)	78 (18.5)
No	477 (53.1)	122 (25.6)	0.01
Use of insecticide-treated bed net	898 (100)	200 (22.3)
Yes	563 (62.7)	120 (21.3)	0.41
No	335 (37.3)	80 (23.9)
History of transfusion	898 (100)	200 (22.3)
Yes	147 (16.4)	46 (31.3)	0.005
No	751 (83.6)	154 (20.5)
History of illness 2 weeks before	898 (100)	200 (22.3)
Yes	604 (67.3)	140 (23.2)	0.39
No	294 (32.7)	60 (20.4)
Edema	898 (100)	200 (22.3)
Yes	36 (4.0)	5 (13.9)	0.30
No	862 (96.0)	195 (21.7)
Middle upper arm circumference (mm)	898 (100)	200 (22.3)
< 125	167 (18.6)	39 (23.4)	0.78
≥ 125	731 (81.4)	161 (22.0)
WHZ	885 (100)	198 (22.4)
< −2	72 (8.1)	16 (22.2)	0.90
≥ −2	813 (91.9)	182 (22.4)
HAZ	869 (100)	190 (21.9)
< −2	517 (59.5)	105 (20.3)	0.20
≥ −2	352 (40.5)	85 (24.1)
WAZ	895 (100)	200 (22.3)
< −2	301 (33.6)	64 (21.3)	0.63
≥ −2	594 (66.4)	136 (22.9)
Anemia	898 (100)	200 (22.3)
Yes	309 (34.4)	103 (33.3)	< 0.0001
No	589 (65.6)	97 (16.5)