Table 2 Descriptive statistics of variables

Child Characteristics

 Boy

0.496

0.499

0.518**

0.499

 Twin

0.029

0.169

0.026

0.156

 Age of child (in months)

27.019

19.210

28.052***

18.929

 Age of child squared

1099.083

1166.593

1145.205***

114.887

 Birth order

4.531

2.518

3.755***

2.305

Household economic status

 Poorest

0.248

0.432

0.049***

0.216

 Poor

0.228

0.420

0.068***

0.252

 Middle

0.221

0.415

0.1174***

0.322

 Richer

0.191

0.393

0.166***

0.372

 Richest

0.111

0.314

0.599***

0.490

Mother Characteristics

 Age difference

7.209

10.190

6.856*

8.877

 Teen age mother

0.197

0.295

0.126***

0.332

 No education

0.293

0.455

0.142***

0.349

 Primary education

0.685

0.465

0.684

0.465

 Secondary education +

0.071

0.257

0.287***

0.452

 Father Characteristics

 No education

0.192

0.394

0.091***

0.288

 Primary education

0.684

0.465

0.502***

0.500

 Secondary education +

0.139

0.347

0.443***

0.497

Religion

 Protestant

0.637

0.481

0.656**

0.475

 Muslim

0.123

0.329

0.139**

0.346

 Catholic

0.197

0.397

0.208*

0.406

 Other

0.039

0.194

0.021***

0.145

Ethnicity

 Chewa

0.335

0.472

0.216***

0.411

 Lomwe

0.159

0.366

0.159

0.365

 Yao

0.118

0.323

0.137***

0.343

 Ngoni

0.117

0.322

0.127*

0.333

 Tumbuka

0.113

0.316

0.215***

0.411

 Other

0.187

0.390

0.206***

0.405

Region

 North

0.199

0.399

0.295***

0.456

 Centre

0.382

0.486

0.300***

0.458

 South

0.418

0.493

0.405

0.490

Observations

Share (%)