Table 3 Relationship between stunting among children (0–59 months) with household, child, maternal characteristics in Malawi (2010), Tanzania (2009–10) and Zimbabwe (2005–6)

Explanatory Variables

 Household head is female

0.94

−0.44

1.21

1.59

0.90

−1.05

 Total number of people in the household

0.97

−1.43

0.99

−0.39

0.98

−0.66

 Rural residence dummy

0.89

−0.81

1.05

0.39

1.12

0.56

 Household Wealth

0.87

−3.45^b

0.90

−2.39^c

0.92

−1.10

 Age of child (in months)

1.02

7.57^b

1.02

6.38^b

1.01

3.07^b

 Whether the child is male

1.36

4.04^b

1.50

5.56^b

1.39

4.12^b

 Large size of the child at birth

0.48

−5.94^b

0.56

−3.74^b

0.66

−3.60^b

 Child is of multiple birth

2.75

2.56^b

3.11

2.73^b

2.67

2.79^b

 Birth order

1.05

1.46

1.07

2.30^c

1.05

1.23

 Mother’s current age

0.98

−1.39

0.97

−2.31^c

1.00

−0.36

 Mother’s body mass - underweight

1.20

1.18

1.29

1.89

0.98

−0.14

 Mother’s body mass - normal

1..00

1.00

1.00

 Mother’s body mass - overweight

0.69

−2.76^c

0.83

−1.56

0.81

−1.90

 Mother’s body mass – pregnant and postpartum

0.90

−0.86

0.79

−2.13^c

0.73

−2.04^c

 Number of under-five children

1.05

0.77

1.02

0.42

1.04

0.49

Mother’s education level^a

 Mother’s education – None

1.00

1.00

0.87

−0.59

 Mother’s education – Junior Primary

0.85

−1.25

1.06

0.45

0.84

−0.78

 Mother’s education – Senior Primary

0.82

−1.57

0.90

−1.02

1.00

 Mother’s education – Junior Secondary

0.89

−0.56

0.70

−1.50

1.03

0.28

 Mother’s education – Senior secondary +

0.56

−2.24^c

0.31

−4.00^b

0.51

−2.00^c

 Household with safe water

0.91

−0.93

1.05

0.46

1.22

1.65

 Household with improved toilet facility

1.03

0.26

0.74

−2.10^c

1.10

0.52

F Statistic

LR χ²

Pseudo R²

N