Table 3 Results of multivariable OLS regression and quantile regression for height-for-age z scores (HAZ) of under-five children, Nepal MICS 2019 (N = 6288)

Child characteristics

 Child’s age (months)

-0.02 (-0.023 to -0.018)***

-0.01 (-0.02 to -0.01)***

-0.01 (-0.02 to -0.01)***

-0.02 (-0.02 to -0.01)***

-0.03 (-0.03 to -0.02)***

 Child’s sex

  Female

  Male

-0.17 (-0.25 to -0.08)***

-0.21 (-0.36 to -0.06)**

-0.15 (-0.24 to -0.06)**

-0.13 (-0.22 to -0.04)**

-0.12 (-0.22 to -0.01)*

 Birth order

  First

  Second and third

-0.06 (-0.16 to 0.05)

-0.02 (-0.19 to 0.15)

-0.07 (-0.18 to 0.03)

-0.04 (-0.15 to 0.06)

-0.02 (-0.13 to 0.09)

  Fourth and above

0.04 (-0.15 to 0.24)

0.10 (-0.20 to 0.39)

-0.05 (-0.25 to 0.15)

0.01 (-0.16 to 0.18)

0.13 (-0.07 to 0.33)

Mother’s characteristics

 Mother’s age at birth

  < 20 years

  20–34 years

0.10 (-0.03 to 0.24)

0.13 (-0.10 to 0.37)

0.14 (0.03 to 0.25)*

0.19 (0.04 to 0.35)*

-0.003 (-0.14 to 0.14)

  More than 34 years

0.01 (-0.27 to 0.30))

-0.15 (-0.43 to 0.14)

0.02 (-0.25 to 0.29)

0.13 (-0.13 to 0.39)

-0.03 (-0.39 to 0.33)

 Education status of mother

  No formal education

  Primary education (grade1-5)

-0.06 (-0.22 to 0.10)

-0.19 (-0.46 to 0.08)

-0.09 (-0.24 to 0.05)

0.02 (-0.13 to 0.17)

0.03 (-0.14 to 0.20)

  Secondary education (grade 6–10)

0.04 (-0.10 to 0.19)

-0.001 (-0.25 to 0.25)

0.14 (0.01 to 0.26)*

0.12 (-0.0005 to 0.23)

-0.06 (-0.20 to 0.08)

  Higher secondary and above (grade 11 and above)

0.25 (0.08 to 0.43)**

0.08 (-0.18 to 0.34)

0.34 (0.17 to 0.51)***

0.36 (0.21 to 0.52)***

0.20 (0.01 to 0.40)*

Household characteristics

 Number of under-five children in household

  One

  Two

-0.03 (-0.13 to 0.08)

-0.12 (-0.28 to 0.03)

-0.09 (-0.19 to 0.02)

0.01 (-0.09 to 0.11)

-0.03 (-0.15 to 0.09)

  Three

0.03 (-0.22 to 0.28)

0.05 (-0.37 to 0.48)

-0.30 (-0.50 to -0.10)**

-0.16 (-0.43 to 0.10)

0.37 (0.11 to 0.64)**

  Four or more

-0.23 (-0.57 to 0.10)

-0.33 (-1.19 to 0.52)

-0.13 (-0.59 to 0.33)

-0.21 (-0.54 to 0.11)

0.05 (-0.65 to 0.76)

 Number of household members

  Two to five members

  Six to eight members

0.07 (-0.03 to 0.18)

0.08 (-0.07 to 0.24)

0.09 (-0.01 to 0.19)

0.06 (-0.04 to 0.17)

0.05 (-0.07 to 0.17)

  Nine or more members

-0.13 (-0.33 to 0.06)

-0.24 (-0.50 to 0.02)

-0.09 (-0.26 to 0.07)

-0.17 (-0.33 to-0.01)*

-0.16 (-0.33 to 0.01)

 Source of drinking water

  Improved

  Unimproved

0.02 (-0.16 to 0.20)

0.07 (-0.46 to 0.59)

0.003 (-0.21 to 0.21)

0.08 (-0.16 to 0.31)

0.19 (0.01 to 0.36)*

 Type of toilet facility

  Improved

  Unimproved

-0.18 (-0.39 to 0.03)

-0.74 (-1.15 to -0.33)***

-0.37 (-0.64 to -0.11)**

-0.08 (-0.29 to 0.12)

0.09 (-0.32 to 0.51)

 Ethnicity

  Brahmin, Chhetri and Madhesi

  Janajati and Newar

0.12 (0.02 to 0.23)*

0.08 (-0.10 to 0.26)

0.15 (0.04 to 0.27)**

0.10 (-0.004 to 0.21)

0.10 (-0.02 to 0.21)

  Dalit and Muslim

0.05 (-0.08 to 0.18)

0.02 (-0.17 to 0.20)

0.03 (-0.10 to 0.17)

0.04 (-0.09 to 0.17)

0.10 (-0.04 to 0.24)

  Others (eg. Marwadi, Bangali)

-0.18 (-0.40 to 0.05)

-0.73 (-1.02 to -0.43)***

-0.18 (-0.35 to -0.02)*

-0.17 (-0.39 to 0.06)

-0.07 (-0.39 to 0.24)

 Residence

  Rural

  Urban

0.06 (-0.04 to 0.15)

0.06 (-0.10 to 0.22)

0.02 (-0.07 to 0.11)

0.08 (-0.01 to 0.17)

0.05 (-0.06 to 0.15)

 Province

  Province 1

  Madhesh province

-0.24 (-0.41 to -0.06)**

-0.54 (-0.83 to -0.25)***

-0.21 (-0.37 to -0.05)*

-0.25 (-0.42 to -0.07)**

-0.08 (-0.29 to 0.13)

  Bagmati province

-0.31 (-0.46 to -0.16)***

-0.27 (-0.51 to -0.04)*

-0.22 (-0.37 to -0.07)**

-0.24 (-0.41 to -0.08)**

-0.40 (-0.53 to -0.26)***

  Gandaki province

-0.23 (-0.39 to -0.08)**

-0.10 (-0.34 to 0.14)

-0.12 (-0.26 to 0.01)

-0.17 (-0.31 to -0.03)*

-0.34 (-0.52 to -0.16)***

  Lumbini province

-0.44 (-0.58 to -0.30)***

-0.29 (-0.49 to -0.08)**

-0.37 (-0.50 to -0.23)***

-0.39 (-0.53 to -0.25)***

-0.52 (-0.70 to -0.35)***

  Karnali province

-0.54 (-0.71 to -0.36)***

-0.65 (-0.94 to -0.37)***

-0.52 (-0.71 to -0.34)***

-0.54 (-0.74 to -0.34)***

-0.58 (-0.79 to -0.38)***

  Sudurpaschim province

-0.43 (-0.59 to -0.27)***

-0.31 (-0.55 to -0.07)*

-0.43 (-0.58 to -0.28)***

-0.50 (-0.66 to -0.34)***

-0.45 (-0.63 to -0.26)***

 Wealth index quintile

  Poorest

  Poor

0.26 (0.11 to 0.40)***

0.46 (0.20 to 0.72)**

0.30 (0.16 to 0.44)***

0.23 (0.10 to 0.38)**

0.25 (0.11 to 0.39)***

  Middle

0.32 (0.17 to 0.48)***

0.49 (0.24 to 0.75)***

0.26 (0.11 to 0.40)***

0.26 (0.11 to 0.40)**

0.28 (0.12 to 0.43)**

  Richer

0.44 (0.28 to 0.60)***

0.66 (0.38 to 0.94)***

0.42 (0.27 to 0.57)***

0.40 (0.25 to 0.56)***

0.43 (0.27 to 0.59)***

  Richest

0.59 (0.39 to 0.78)***

0.97 (0.68 to 1.26)***

0.65 (0.44 to 0.86)***

0.47 (0.27 to 0.68)***

0.59 (0.36 to 0.81)***