Table 2. Summary of demographic and socio–economic characteristics across mother–child dyads in Malawi at baseline (dry season).
| Total (n = 274) | Overweight Mother, Overweight Child (n = 74) | Overweight Mother, Normal Weight Child (n = 120) | Normal Weight Mother, Overweight Child (n = 80) | P-value1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age of mother, years | 27.8 ±6.0 | 28.9 ±6.0 | 28.9 ±5.9 | 25.3 ±5.5 | <0.001 |
| Age of child, months | 27.0 ±15.3 | 25.2 ±14.4 | 32.8 ±15.4 | 20.0 ±12.5 | <0.001 |
| Child sex | |||||
| Male | 46.7 (128) | 50.0 (37) | 39.2 (47) | 55.0 (44) | 0.07 |
| Female | 53.3 (146) | 50.0 (37) | 60.8 (73) | 45.0 (36) | |
| Location | |||||
| Lilongwe | 50.4 (138) | 50.0 (37) | 50.0 (60) | 51.3 (41) | 0.98 |
| Kasungu | 49.6 (136) | 50.0 (37) | 50.0 (60) | 48.8 (39) | |
| Residence | |||||
| Urban | 50.4 (138) | 50.0 (37) | 52.5 (63) | 47.5 (38) | 0.78 |
| Rural | 49.6 (136) | 50.0 (37) | 47.5 (57) | 52.5 (42) | |
| Household size | 5.1 ±1.7 | 5.3 ±1.6 | 5.2 ±1.8 | 4.7 ±1.6 | 0.03 |
| Number of children <5 years in household | 1.3 ±0.6 | 1.3 ±0.7 | 1.4 ±0.7 | 1.3 ±0.5 | 0.79 |
| Maternal educational attainment | |||||
| <Secondary school | 58.4 (160) | 59.5 (44) | 53.3 (64) | 65.0 (52) | 0.26 |
| Any secondary school or higher | 41.6 (114) | 40.5 (30) | 46.7 (56) | 35.0 (28) | |
| Main source of drinking water | |||||
| Piped into dwelling, plot/yard, or communal standpipe | 56.2 (154) | 51.4 (38) | 60.8 (73) | 53.8 (43) | 0.60 |
| Well in yard/plot or public well | 12.8 (35) | 16.2 (12) | 11.7 (14) | 11.3 (9) | |
| Borehole | 31.0 (85) | 32.4 (24) | 27.5 (33) | 35.0 (28) | |
| Toilet facility used by household | |||||
| Flush toilet | 5.8 (16) | 5.4 (4) | 8.3 (10) | 2.5 (2) | 0.03 |
| Ventilated improved pit latrine | 18.3 (50) | 12.2 (9) | 25.8 (31) | 12.5 (10) | |
| Pit latrine with roof | 61.3 (168) | 62.2 (46) | 54.2 (65) | 71.3 (57) | |
| Traditional pit latrine or no facility | 14.6 (40) | 20.3 (15) | 11.7 (14) | 13.8 (11) | |
| Total number of household assets2 | 3.9 ±3.0 | 3.6 ±3.0 | 4.6 ±3.2 | 3.2 ±2.5 | 0.006 |
| HFIAS score3 | 5.5 ±7.1 | 5.4 ±7.0 | 4.1 ±6.2 | 7.8 ±7.8 | 0.001 |
| Total amount spent on food for household in a typical week (USD)4 | $10.61 ±$9.32 | $10.78 ±$9.55 | $12.22 ±$10.55 | $8.05 ±$6.18 | 0.02 |
| Who purchases most food the family consumes | |||||
| Mother | 17.2 (47) | 16.2 (12) | 17.5 (21) | 17.5 (14) | 0.92 |
| Husband/partner | 59.1 (162) | 58.1 (43) | 58.3 (70) | 61.3 (49) | |
| Both | 14.2 (39) | 16.2 (12) | 15.8 (19) | 10.0 (8) | |
| Other family member | 9.5 (26) | 9.5 (7) | 8.3 (10) | 11.3 (9) | |
| How woman gets to nearest market/shop to purchase food | |||||
| Walk | 94.5 (256) | 93.2 (69) | 95.8 (113) | 93.7 (74) | 0.71 |
| Other5 | 5.5 (15) | 6.8 (5) | 4.2 (5) | 6.3 (5) | |
| How long it takes to get to nearest market/shop to purchase food (minutes) | 37.5 ±41.1 | 37.8 ±41.7 | 32.5 ±35.9 | 44.7 ±46.9 | 0.77 |
| Purchase special foods for children <5 years in household6 | |||||
| Yes | 51.1 (140) | 56.8 (42) | 41.7 (50) | 60.0 (48) | 0.02 |
| No | 48.9 (134) | 43.2 (32) | 58.3 (70) | 40.0 (32) | |
| Total amount spent on special foods for children <5 years in household in a typical week (USD)4 | $8.33±6.12 | $7.31±6.21 | $9.68±5.65 | $7.23±6.35 | 0.001 |
| Mother’s body size preference for herself | |||||
| Underweight silhouette | 1.1 (3) | 2.7 (2) | 0 (0) | 1.3 (1) | 0.38 |
| Normal weight silhouette | 31.4 (86) | 23.0 (17) | 35.8 (43) | 32.5 (26) | |
| Overweight silhouette | 53.7 (147) | 58.1 (43) | 50.8 (61) | 53.8 (43) | |
| Obese silhouette | 13.9 (38) | 16.2 (12) | 13.3 (16) | 12.5 (10) | |
| Mother’s perception of healthy body size for herself | |||||
| Underweight silhouette | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.45 |
| Normal weight silhouette | 5.5 (15) | 2.7 (2) | 8.3 (10) | 3.8 (3) | |
| Overweight silhouette | 35.0 (96) | 37.8 (28) | 34.2 (41) | 33.8 (27) | |
| Obese silhouette | 59.5 (163) | 59.5 (44) | 57.5 (69) | 62.5 (50) | |
| Mother’s body size preference for her child | |||||
| Underweight silhouette | 2.2 (6) | 0 (0) | 5.0 (6) | 0 (0) | 0.03 |
| Normal weight silhouette | 32.9 (90) | 32.4 (24) | 36.7 (44) | 27.5 (22) | |
| Overweight silhouette | 39.1 (107) | 39.2 (29) | 40.0 (48) | 37.5 (30) | |
| Obese silhouette | 25.9 (71) | 28.4 (21) | 18.3 (22) | 35.0 (28) | |
| Mother’s perception of healthy body size for her child | |||||
| Underweight silhouette | 0.4 (1) | 0 (0) | 0.8 (1) | 0 (0) | 0.60 |
| Normal weight silhouette | 7.7 (21) | 5.4 (4) | 10.0 (12) | 6.3 (5) | |
| Overweight silhouette | 24.1 (66) | 28.4 (21) | 24.2 (29) | 20.0 (16) | |
| Obese silhouette | 67.9 (186) | 66.2 (49) | 65.0 (78) | 73.8 (59) | |
| Child diarrhea in last 2 weeks | |||||
| Yes | 28.2 (77) | 23.3 (17) | 23.3 (28) | 40.0 (32) | 0.02 |
| No | 71.8 (196) | 76.7 (56) | 76.7 (92) | 60.0 (48) | |
| Child fever in last 2 weeks | |||||
| Yes | 40.3 (110) | 37.0 (27) | 42.5 (51) | 40.0 (32) | 0.75 |
| No | 59.7 (163) | 63.0 (46) | 57.5 (69) | 60.0 (48) | |
| Child cough in last 2 weeks | |||||
| Yes | 63.7 (173) | 61.6 (45) | 62.5 (75) | 66.3 (53) | 0.81 |
| No | 36.6 (100) | 38.4 (28) | 37.5 (45) | 33.8 (27) | |
| Mother diarrhea in last 2 weeks | |||||
| Yes | 11.4 (31) | 9.6 (7) | 10.0 (12) | 15.0 (12) | 0.47 |
| No | 88.6 (242) | 90.4 (66) | 90.0 (108) | 85.0 (68) | |
| Mother fever in last 2 weeks | |||||
| Yes | 12.5 (34) | 11.0 (8) | 11.7 (14) | 15.0 (12) | 0.71 |
| No | 87.6 (239) | 89.0 (65) | 88.3 (106) | 85.0 (68) | |
| Mother cough in last 2 weeks | |||||
| Yes | 29.3 (80) | 28.8 (21) | 29.2 (35) | 30.0 (24) | 0.99 |
| No | 70.7 (193) | 71.2 (52) | 70.8 (85) | 70.0 (56) |
Values are mean ±SD or % (n).
1 P-value from chi-square test for categorical variables and Kruskal-Wallis H test (non-parametric alternative to one-way analysis of variance) for continuous variables.
2 Including electricity, koloboyi (home-made kerosene lamp), paraffin lamp, radio, television, mattress, sofa set, table and chair(s), refrigerator, watch, bicycle, and mobile telephone.
3 Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) ranging from 0 (no food insecurity) to 27 (severe food insecurity).
4 Includes food eaten at home and food eaten away from home. Converted to USD using World Bank local currency unit relative to the US dollar for 2018 for Malawi (732.33). Available from: http://wdi.worldbank.org/table/4.16 (accessed 2 October 2019).
5 Includes bicycle, motorbike, and minibus.
6 Special foods for children are those foods that are bought only for children (<5 years) and are not consumed by other members of the household.