Table 2.
Evaluation of quality parameters (standard deviation, percentage of flags, skewness, excess kurtosis, normality) for anthropometric indices among children 6–59 months, overall and by age group
| Indicator | SD (mean) |
% Flag (mean) |
Skewness (mean) |
% Skewed (+/− 0.5 cutoffs) |
% Skewed negative | % Skewed positive | Kurtosis (mean) | % Kurtosis (+/− 1 cutoffs) |
% excess kurtosis negative | % excess kurtosis positive | % Non-Normal (Shapiro) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHZ | Children 6-59 m | 1.05 | 0.36 | − 0.09 | 1.9% | 1.4% | 0.5% | 0.30 | 3.0% | 0.0% | 3.0% | 45.7% |
| Children 6–23 m | 1.11 | 0.49 | −0.05 | 3.1% | 1.8% | 1.3% | 0.17 | 4.1% | 0.0% | 4.1% | 16.0% | |
| Children 24–59 m | 1.07 | 0.28 | −0.07 | 3.4% | 2.3% | 1.1% | 0.36 | 9.6% | 0.0% | 9.6% | 38.3% | |
| Differencea | 0.10*** | 0.21*** | 0.01 | −0.3% | – | – | − 0.18*** | −5.5%*** | – | – | −22.3%*** | |
| Correlationb | 0.56*** | 0.40*** | 0.30*** | – | – | – | 0.18*** | – | – | – | – | |
| % youngerc better | 14.3% | 21.9 | 51.0% | – | – | – | 54.8% | – | – | – | – | |
| WAZ | Children 6–59 m | 1.04 | 0.19 | −0.07 | 1.4% | 1.3% | 0.1% | 0.27 | 3.7% | 0.0% | 3.7% | 42.4% |
| Children 6–23 m | 1.13 | 0.33 | −0.03 | 3.8% | 2.0% | 1.8% | 0.13 | 3.9% | 0.0% | 3.9% | 13.6% | |
| Children 24–59 m | 0.98 | 0.09 | −0.12 | 4.4% | 3.8% | 0.6% | 0.28 | 9.0% | 0.0% | 9.0% | 35.8% | |
| Differencea | 0.15*** | 0.24*** | 0.09*** | −0.6% | – | – | − 0.15*** | −5.0%*** | – | – | −22.2%*** | |
| Correlationb | 0.59*** | 0.23*** | 0.15*** | – | – | – | 0.17*** | – | – | – | – | |
| % youngerc better | 5.5% | 10.4% | 52.8% | – | – | – | 50.6% | – | – | – | – | |
| HAZ | Children 6–59 m | 1.22 | 1.00 | 0.03 | 1.1% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.11 | 2.5% | 0.0% | 2.5% | 38.9% |
| Children 6–23 m | 1.26 | 1.52 | 0.03 | 3.7% | 1.1% | 2.6% | 0.05 | 1.4% | 0.0% | 1.4% | 17.3% | |
| Children 24–59 m | 1.18 | 0.67 | 0.01 | 3.7% | 2.0% | 1.7% | 0.14 | 3.9% | 0.0% | 3.9% | 33.9% | |
| Differencea | 0.08*** | 0.86*** | 0.02* | 0.0% | – | – | −0.10*** | −2.5%*** | – | – | −16.6%*** | |
| Correlationb | 0.69*** | 0.75*** | 0.30*** | – | – | – | 0.31*** | – | – | – | – | |
| % youngerc better | 25.6% | 14.5% | 47.9% | – | – | – | 51.8% | – | – | – | – | |
| MUACZ | Children 6–59 m | 0.96 | 0.13 | −0.11 | 3.6% | 3.3% | 0.3% | 0.32 | 28.2% | 0.3% | 27.9% | 41.0% |
| Children 6–23 m | 1.02 | 0.17 | −0.13 | 9.0% | 8.6% | 0.3% | 0.31 | 32.3% | 3.4% | 28.9% | 26.5% | |
| Children 24–59 m | 0.91 | 0.10 | −0.11 | 5.8% | 5.4% | 0.4% | 0.26 | 26.1% | 1.6% | 24.5% | 32.2% | |
| Differencea | 0.10*** | 0.08*** | −0.03* | 3.1%* | – | – | 0.05* | 6.3%* | – | – | −5.7%* | |
| Correlationb | 0.58*** | 0.19*** | 0.25*** | – | – | – | 0.06 | – | – | – | – | |
| % youngerc better | 10.4% | 15.5% | 42.0% | – | – | – | 43.0% | – | – | – | – | |
| BMIZ | Children 6–59 m | 1.08 | 1.56 | −0.09 | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.29 | 26.4% | 0.4% | 26.0% | 43.3% |
| Children 6–23 m | 1.14 | 2.14 | −0.08 | 3.8% | 3.0% | 0.8% | 0.16 | 23.7% | 4.6% | 19.1% | 15.7% | |
| Children 24–59 m | 1.04 | 1.24 | −0.05 | 3.0% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 0.35 | 35.1% | 0.8% | 34.3% | 34.3% | |
| Differencea | 0.10*** | 0.89*** | −0.03** | 0.8% | – | – | −0.19*** | −11.4%*** | – | – | −18.5%*** | |
| Correlationb | 0.63*** | 0.82*** | 0.30*** | – | – | – | 0.18*** | – | – | – | – | |
| % youngerc better | 16.4% | 25.8% | 51.8% | – | – | – | 56.2% | – | – | – | – |
WHZ Weight-for-height z-zcore, WAZ Weight-for-age z-score, HAZ Height-for-age z-score, MUACZ Mid-upper arm circumference-for-age z-score, BMIZ BMI-for-age z-score, SD Standard deviation
P-values were calculated using parametric tests
*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001
a Mean difference between 6–23 and 24–59 months age groups
b Correlation between 6–23 and 24–59 age groups
cPercentage of surveys where absolute values for age group 6–23 months were lower than absolute values for age group 24–59 months