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. 2020 Nov 5;30(11):485–496. doi: 10.2188/jea.JE20190064

Table 3. Contribution of individual covariates in explaining between- and within-population variation in child anthropometry and hemoglobin level, National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4; n = 139,116).

Covariates Height-for-age z-scores Weight-for-age z-scores Weight-for-height z-scores Standardized Hemoglobin




% Explained (95% CI) % Explained (95% CI) % Explained (95% CI) % Explained (95% CI)




Between-population Within-population Between-population Within-population Between-population Within-population Between-population Within-population
Birth order 4.9 (4.9, 5.0)% 0.2 (0.1, 0.3)% 3.8 (3.7, 5.0)% 0.2 (0.1, 0.3)% 0.3 (0.2, 0.4)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.3 (0.1, 0.4)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Residence 5.7 (5.4, 6.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 4.8 (4.5, 5.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.7 (0.5, 0.9)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.6 (−0.6, −0.4)% 0.0 (−0.0, 0.0)%
Household Wealth 22.1 (21.4, 23.1)% 1.7 (1.6, 1.8)% 23.6 (22.9, 24.3)% 1.7 (1.5, 2.0)% 5.3 (5.3, 6.2)% 0.5 (0.4, 0.6)% −2.0 (−3.0, −2.0)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.1)%
Maternal Education 19.9 (19.1, 20.6)% 1.2 (1.1, 1.4)% 19.6 (18.9, 20.3)% 1.2 (1.1, 1.3)% 3.8 (3.7, 4.2)% 0.3 (0.2, 0.5)% 3.4 (3.1, 3.7)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.2)%
Mother height 13.5 (12.8, 14.0)% 3.5 (3.3, 3.8)% 12.5 (12.0, 13.1)% 3.5 (3.2, 3.8)% 2.0 (1.9, 2.2)% 0.2 (0.1, 0.2)% 0.1 (0.1, 0.3)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.1)%
Mother’s BMI 9.7 (9.3, 10.1)% 0.5 (0.4, 0.5)% 19.7 (19.3, 20.2)% 0.5 (0.5, 0.6)% 10.8 (10.4, 11.4)% 1.2 (1.0, 1.4)% 1.0 (0.9, 1.2)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.1)%
Age at marriage 4.0 (3.7, 4.3)% 0.1 (0.1, 0.1)% 4.3 (4.1, 4.5)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.1)% 1.0 (0.9, 1.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.1 (0.1, 0.1)% 0.0 (−0.0, 0.1)%
Dietary diversity 0.1 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.0 (−0.1, 1.0)% 0.4 (0.3, 0.5)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.3 (0.2, 0.4)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (−0.1, 0.1)%
Breastfeeding 0.0 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.5 (0.4, 0.6)% −0.1 (−0.2, 0.0)% 0.5 (0.4, 0.6)% −0.2 (−0.3, −0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.0 (−0.1, 0.1)%
Drinking water −0.1 (−0.2, −0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% −0.2 (−0.2, −0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (−0.1, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Sanitation 13.5 (13.2, 13.8)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 17.8 (17.1, 18.5)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 5.5 (5.2, 6.0)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.1)% 2.3 (2.2, 2.5)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Stool disposal 11.0 (10.5, 11.6)% 0.3 (0.2, 0.3)% 13.0 (12.3, 13.8)% 0.3 (0.3, 0.4)% 3.4 (3.2, 3.7)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.8 (0.7, 1.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.1)%
Infectious Disease 0.2 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% −0.1 (−0.2, −0.1)% 0.0 (−0.1, 0.1)% −0.3 (−0.4, −0.2)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.0 (−0.0, 0.0)%
Home air quality 17.0 (16.4, 17.6)% 0.5 (0.4, 0.6)% 17.4 (17.0, 17.9)% 0.5 (0.4, 0.6)% 3.8 (3.6, 4.1)% 0.2 (0.1, 0.3)% −0.3 (−0.6, −0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Iodized salt 0.5 (0.4, 0.6)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.8 (0.8, 0.9)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.3 (0.2, 0.4)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.2 (0.0, 0.3)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Vitamin A suppl. 0.3 (0.3, 0.4)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.2 (0.2, 0.2)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% −0.1 (−0.1, −0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (−0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Full vaccination 0.3 (0.2, 0.3)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.4 (0.4, 0.5)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.2 (0.2, 0.3)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Family planning 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% −0.0 (−0.1, 0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (−0.1, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Birth attendant 4.2 (4.0, 4.4)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 3.5 (3.3, 3.7)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.3 (0.2, 0.4)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% −0.2 (−0.3, −0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Antenatal care visits 6.1 (5.9, 6.4)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.0)% 5.4 (5.1, 5.7)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.2 (0.1, 0.3)% 0.2 (0.1, 0.3)% 0.0 (−0.1, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Child diarrhea 0.2 (0.2, 0.3)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.4 (0.3, 0.4)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.2 (0.1, 0.2)% 0.1 (0.0, 0.2)% 0.1 (0.1, 0.2)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%
Child cough/fever 0.0 (0.0, 0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% −0.1 (−0.1, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% −1.5 (−0.2, −0.1)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)% 0.0 (0.0, 0.0)%

BMI, body mass index; CI, confidence interval.

Each value represents the percent reduction in response to the addition of the listed risk factor over and above adjustment for age and sex.

Between-population columns give the percent reduction for the total population-level (district+community+state). 95% confidence intervals for percent reductions calculated via bootstrapping with 1,000 bootstrap re-samples.