Although maternal stature has been associated with offspring mortality and health,
the extent to which this association is universal across developing countries is unclear.
To examine the association between maternal stature and offspring mortality, underweight,
stunting, and wasting in infancy and early childhood in 54 low- to middle-income countries.
Analysis of 109 Demographic and Health Surveys in 54 countries conducted between 1991
and 2008. Study population consisted of a nationally representative cross-sectional
sample of children aged 0 to 59 months born to mothers aged 15 to 49 years. Sample
sizes were 2,661,519 (mortality), 587,096 (underweight), 558,347 (stunting), and 568,609
(wasting) children.
Likelihood of mortality, underweight, stunting, or wasting in children younger than
5 years.
The mean response rate across surveys in the mortality data set was 92.8%. In adjusted
models, a 1-cm increase in maternal height was associated with a decreased risk of
child mortality (absolute risk difference [ARD], 0.0014; relative risk [RR], 0.988;
95% confidence interval [CI], 0.987-0.988), underweight (ARD, 0.0068; RR, 0.968; 95%
CI, 0.968-0.969), stunting (ARD, 0.0126; RR, 0.968; 95% CI, 0.967-0.968), and wasting
(ARD, 0.0005; RR, 0.994; 95% CI, 0.993-0.995). Absolute risk of dying among children
born to the tallest mothers (> or = 160 cm) was 0.073 (95% CI, 0.072-0.074) and to
those born to the shortest mothers (< 145 cm) was 0.128 (95% CI, 0.126-0.130). Country-specific
decrease in the risk for child mortality associated with a 1-cm increase in maternal
height varied between 0.978 and 1.011, with the decreased risk being statistically
significant in 46 of 54 countries (85%) (alpha = .05).
Among 54 low- to middle-income countries, maternal stature was inversely associated
with offspring mortality, underweight, and stunting in infancy and childhood.