Definition
For surviving children born in the three to five years before the survey, HWHTAPCTRM (HW6) reports the child's height-for-age as a percent of the median height for a reference population of the same age and sex. For this variable, the reference population was developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Low child height-for-age, or "stunting," is an indicator of chronic malnutrition,
HWHEIGHT (HW3) reports the child's length or height as measured by DHS personnel. See this variable and HWHTHOWMEAS (HW15) for specifics on child length/height measurement. The related variable KIDAGEMO (HW1) reports the child's age in months at the time of measurement.
The similar variable HWHTAPCT (HW4) reports the child's height-for-age percentile relative to smoothed percentile growth charts by age and sex, for the same reference population.
For an alternative measure of child stunting in terms of height-for-age, see HWHAZNCHS (HW5). HWHAZNCHS reports the difference between the child's height and the median height of the CDC reference population of the same age and sex, expressed in units equal to one standard deviation of the reference population's distribution.
