Table 1 Baseline characteristics of study children, by sex
Characteristica | Overall 2346 | Boys 1232 | Girls 1114 | Pb value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Child characteristics | ||||
 Age, years, mean (SD) | 10.4 (2.5) | 10.6 (2.5) | 10.2 (2.5) | <0.001 |
Age categories (years) | ||||
 5–10 | 50.2 (1178) | 46.1 (568) | 54.8 (601) |  |
 11–15 | 49.8 (1168) | 53.9 (664) | 45.2 (504) | <0.001 |
Mean body temperature, mean °C (SD) | 36.6 (0.6) | 36.6 (0.6) | 36.6 (0.6) | 0.467 |
HAZ <−2 SD below median reference value | 25.3 (593) | 31.1 (383) | 18.6 (210) | <0.001 |
WAZ <−2 SD below median reference value | 3.0 (71) | 3.6 (44) | 2.4 (27) | 0.105 |
BMIZ <−2 SD below median reference value | 10.4 (245) | 13.1 (161) | 7.5 (84) | <0.001 |
P. falciparum infection | 48.3 (1095) | 50.8 (607) | 46.7 (488) | 0.015 |
P. falciparum infection density/μL, mean (95 % CI) | 1886 (1452–2450) | 1812 (1361–2413) | 1968 (1339–2894) | 0.731 |
Haemoglobin, g/dL, mean (SD) | 12.3 (1.3) | 12.3 (0.4) | 12.3 (0.4) | 0.142 |
Anaemia | 38.0 (834) | 40.9 (471) | 34.8 (363) | 0.003 |
Household characteristics | ||||
 >1 net per household | 87.5 (1319) | 85.2 (673) | 90.1 (646) | 0.004 |
 Slept under a bed net previous night | 78.7 (1742) | 77.8 (905) | 79.8 (837) | 0.241 |
Education level of household head | ||||
 None or incomplete primary | 57.4 (1255) | 56.8 (653) | 58.1 (602) | 0.547 |
 Above primary school | 42.6 (930) | 43.2 (496) | 41.9 (434) |  |