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Table 1 The description of the response variable and the respective covariates included in the model

From: A machine learning classifier approach for identifying the determinants of under-five child undernutrition in Ethiopian administrative zones

 

Descriptions

Childhood undernutrition using CIAF (outcome variable)

\(yi = \left\{ {\begin{array}{*{20}l} {1:} \hfill & {if \,a \,child\, i \,had\, at\, least\, one\, form\, of\, undernutrion\, \left( { CIAF} \right) } \hfill \\ {0:} \hfill & { if \,child \,i\, is\, nourished } \hfill \\ \end{array} } \right.\)

Children level covariates

Sex

Sex of a child (female vs male)

Age (months)

Age of a child in months

Vitamin A (VA)

Yes/no

Birth order (BO)

1, 2–3 4 + (birth order number)

Breastfeeding (BF)

Yes/no

Child comorbidity status (CO)

(Presence of diarrhea, fever, ALRI in last 2 weeks before the survey): (No vs yes)

Types of birth (TB)

(Multiple vs singleton)

Size of the child at birth (SC)

(Smaller than average, average, larger than average)

Dietary diversity score (DDS)

Below minimum requirement/ minimum requirement

Maternal/household-level covariates

Mother’s age

15–24, 25–34 and 35–49 (respondents current age 15–49)

Residence (PR)

Rural/urban

Mother’s educational level (ME)

No formal education, primary and secondary and above

Father’s educational level (FE)

No formal education, primary and secondary and above

Women’s autonomy tertiles (WA)

Low, medium, and high

Toilet facility (TF)

Improved and unimproved

Source of drinking water (SDW)

Improved and unimproved

BMI

Body mass index of mothers (< 18.5 kg/m2, 18.5–24.9 kg/m2 and ≥ 25 kg/m2)

Number of children under five (NUFC)

Number of children under the age of 5 (0–1, 2, 3 or more)

Survey year (SY)

Years of the survey (2000, 2005, 2011, and 2016)

Media exposure

Yes/no

Working status of the mother (WS)

Not working/working

Household size

< 4, 5–9, 10 + (continuous)

Wealth quantile (WQ)

Poorest, poor, middle, richer, and richest

Geospatial covariates

Precipitation (precp)

The average precipitation measured within the 10 km (rural) or 2 km (urban)

Aridity index

The ratio of annual precipitation to annual potential evapotranspiration (10 km × 10 km)

Evaporation

Global elevation above earth’s sea level

Maximum temperature (MaxT)

The average annual maximum temperature within the 10 km (rural) or the 2 km (urban)

Minimum temperature (MinT)

The average annual minimum temperature within the 10 km (rural) or the 2 km (urban)

Potential evaporation (pet)

The average annual pet within the 10 km (rural) or the 2 km (urban)

Proximity to water (proxtmty)

Straight-line distance to the nearest major water body

Urban–rural settlement (UR)

This is the urban–rural population classification of the area within the 10 km (rural) or the 2 km (urban)

Population density (popD)

Estimates of human population density is the number of persons/km2

Enhanced vegetation index (EVI)

The average vegetation index value within the 10 km (rural) or the 2 km (urban)

Cluster altitude (Alt)

Cluster altitude

Wet days (WetD)

The average number of days receiving rainfall within the 10 km (rural) or 2 km (urban)