Definition
For surviving children born in the three to five years before the survey, HWHEIGHT (HW3) reports the child's height as measured by DHS personnel. HWHEIGHT values are reported in millimeters, to preserve one centimeter decimal place without requiring the use of a decimal point. Dividing HWHEIGHT by 10 will yield the child's measured height in centimeters.
In most surveys, HWHEIGHT was measured as a standing height for children at least 24 months old and as a recumbent length (with the child lying down) for children less than 24 months old, following WHO guidelines. As the DHS recode manuals note, however, there may be discrepancies between policy and practice with respect to this protocol. The related variable HWHTHOWMEAS indicates whether the child's height was measured as a recumbent length or a standing height, and is available for most surveys from Phase 2 forward.