PDF, 1536K - Measure DHS

of 140 to 150 centimeters. The BMI, which utilizes both height and weight and provides a better
measure of thinness than weight alone, is defined as weight in kilograms divided by the square of the
height in meters (kg/m 2 ). For the BMI, a cutoff of 18.5 has been recommended for indicating chronic
energy deficiency among nonpregnant women. To avoid bias in the measurement of women’s nutritional
status, pregnant women and women who had given birth in the two months preceding the survey were
excluded from the calculation of weight and body mass measures.
The mean height of Ethiopian women is 156 centimeters. About 4 percent of women are shorter
than 145 centimeters. Rural women are shorter than average than their urban counterparts. The
percentage of women whose height was below 145 centimeters is highest in the Tigray Region and
lowest in Dire Dawa. Women who have attended at least secondary school are much less likely to be
of short stature than women with little or no education.
Three in ten women fall below the cutoff of 18.5 indicating that the level of chronic energy
deficiency is relatively high in Ethiopia. In general, very young women (15-19), rural women, women
residing in the Somali Region, and women with little or no education are more likely than other women
to suffer from chronic energy deficiency (Figure 11.2).
Figure 11.2 Percentage of Women Age 15-49 with a Low Body
Mass Index (BMI) by Background Characteristics
AGE
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-49
RESIDENCE
Urban
Rural
REGION
Tigray
Affar
Amhara
Oromiya
Somali
Benishangul-Gumuz
SNNP
Gambela
Harari
Addis Ababa
Dire Dawa
EDUCATION
No education
Primary
Secondary and higher
18
23
24
24
23
24
0 10 20 30 40 50
25
27
29
32
31
31
31
31
33
35
38
38
39
42
48
2
Note: BMI = kg/m . Low BMI is defined as