Table 5 Relationship between underweight among children (0–59 months) with household, child, maternal characteristics in Malawi (2010), Tanzania (2009–10) and Zimbabwe (2005–6)

Explanatory Variables

 Age of child (in months)

1.01

2.26^c

1.01

1.69

1.00

1.67

 Whether the child is male

1.29

2.20^c

1.50

4.01^b

1.24

1.31

 Large size of the child at birth

0.38

−6.70^b

0.40

−5.54^b

0.47

−4.87^b

 Child is of multiple birth

2.27

2.35^c

2.65

3.98^b

2.09

2.51^c

 Birth order

1.05

0.94

1.05

1.07

1.03

0.62

 Had diarrhoea recently

1.58

3.28^b

1.19

1.22

1.54

2.84^b

 Mother’s current age

0.98

−1.13

0.99

−0.36

1.00

0.23

 Mother’s body mass - underweight

1.77

2.87^b

1.96

3.89^b

1.89

3.29^b

 Mother’s body mass - normal

1.00

1.00

1.00

 Mother’s body mass - overweight

0.57

−2.32^b

0.54

−3.23^b

0.76

−1.51

 Mother’s body mass – pregnant and postpartum

0.98

−0.14

0.97

−0.21

0.76

−1.25

 Number of under-five children

1.09

0.93

1.06

0.77

1.28

2.59^c

 Household head is female

1.62

2.18^c

1.42

1.75

0.90

−0.79

 Total number of people in the household

0.97

−0.84

0.98

−0.81

0.92

−2.73^b

 Rural residence dummy

0.78

−1.17

0.95

−0.28

1.00

−0.01

 Wealth

0.38

−0.96

0.87

−2.09^c

0.95

−0.62

Mother’s education level^a

 Mother’s education – None

1.00

1.00

0.95

−0.14

 Mother’s education – Junior Primary

0.78

−1.49

0.91

−0.43

0.68

−1.30

 Mother’s education – Senior Primary

0.77

−1.46

0.79

−1.71

1.00

 Mother’s education – Junior Secondary

0.46

−2.34^c

0.57

−1.58

0.85

−1.22

 Mother’s education – Senior secondary +

0.45

−1.99^c

0.40

−2.18^c

0.12

−2.78^b

 Household with safe water

0.92

−0.57

0.84

−1.46

1.41

1.73

 Household with improved toilet facility

0.84

−0.97

0.88

−0.83

0.86

−0.70

F Statistic

LR χ²

Pseudo R²

N