Application of ordinal logistic regression analysis in determining risk factors of child malnutrition in Bangladesh

Abstract

Abstract Background The study attempts to develop an ordinal logistic regression (OLR) model to identify the determinants of child malnutrition instead of developing traditional binary logistic regression (BLR) model using the data of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2004. Methods Based on weight-for-age anthropometric index (Z-score) child nutrition status is categorized into three groups-severely undernourished ( Results All the models determine that age of child, birth interval, mothers' education, maternal nutrition, household wealth status, child feeding index, and incidence of fever, ARI & diarrhoea were the significant predictors of child malnutrition; however, results of PPOM were more precise than those of other models. Conclusion These findings clearly justify that OLR models (POM and PPOM) are appropriate to find predictors of malnutrition instead of BLR models.

Keywords

• Ordinal logistic regression model
• Proportional odds model
• Partial proportional odds model
• Binary logistic regression model
• Anthropometric index
• Child malnutrition