Table 1 Background characteristics of study participants

Age in years [mean(sd)]

28.9 (9.5)

28.8–29.0

28.8 (9.5)

28.7–28.9

Age in years

10–19

11,821 (20.1)

19.8–20.5

19.9

19.6–20.2

20–29

20,886 (35.6)

35.2–36

36.3

35.9–36.7

30–39

15,757 (26.9)

26.5–27.2

26.8

26.5–27.2

40–49

10,218 (17.4)

17.1–17.7

17.0

16.7–17.3

Sex of participants

Male

36,238 (61.8)

61.4–62.1

60.8

60.4–61.2

Female

22,444 (38.2)

37.9–38.6

39.2

38.8–39.6

Current marital status

Never married

18,922 (32.2)

31.9–32.6

33.5

33.1–33.9

Married

25,938 (44.2)

43.8–44.6

43.6

43.2–44.0

Living together

7,232 (12.3)

12.1–12.6

11.8

11.6–12.1

Widowed

1,950 (3.3)

3.2–3.5

3.2

3.1–3.4

Divorced

4,640 (7.9)

7.7–8.1

7.9

7.7–8.1

Type of place of residence

Urban

20,965 (35.7)

35.3–36.1

38.6

38.2–39

Rural

37,717 (64.3)

63.9–64.7

61.4

61.0–61.8

Educational level

No formal education

7,428 (12.7)

12.4–12.9

11.3

11–11.5

Primary

24,108 (41.1)

40.7–41.5

40.0

39.6–40.4

Secondary

24,229 (41.3)

40.9–41.7

42.7

42.3–43.1

Higher

2,917 (5.0)

4.8–5.1

6.0

5.8–6.2

Religion

Christian

54,936 (93.6)

93.4–93.8

93.9

93.7–94.1

Islam

2,164 (3.7)

3.5–3.8

3.3

3.2–3.5

Other

1,582 (2.7)

2.6–2.8

2.8

2.7–2.9

Frequency of reading newspaper

Not at all

39,471 (67.3)

66.9–67.6

66.3

65.9–66.6

Less than once a week

9,403 (16.0)

15.7–16.3

16.4

16.1–16.7

At least once a week

8,246 (14.1)

13.8–14.3

14.8

14.5–15.1

Almost every day

1,562 (2.7)

2.5–2.8

2.5

2.4–2.7

Frequency of listening to a radio

Not at all

19,444 (33.1)

32.8–33.5

32.6

32.2–32.9

Less than once a week

12,156 (20.7)

20.4–21

21.4

21–21.7

At least once a week

22,958 (39.1)

38.7–39.5

39.2

38.8–39.5

Almost every day

4,124 (7.0)

6.8–7.2

6.9

6.7–7.1

Frequency of watching television

Not at all

34,698 (59.1)

58.7–59.5

57.9

57.5–58.2

Less than once a week

7,639 (13.0)

12.7–13.3

13.5

13.2–13.8

At least once a week

13,699 (23.3)

23–23.7

24.2

23.9–24.6

Almost every day

2,646 (4.5)

4.3–4.7

4.4

4.2–4.6

Wealth index

Poorest

10,517 (17.9)

17.6–18.2

16.1

15.8–16.4

Poorer

10,912 (18.6)

18.3–18.9

17.6

17.3–17.9

Middle

11,510 (19.6)

19.3–19.9

19.1

18.8–19.5

Richer

12,199 (20.8)

20.5–21.1

22.1

21.7–22.4

Richest

13,544 (23.1)

22.7–23.4

25.1

24.8–25.5

Country

Eswatini

4,692 (8.0)

7.8–8.2

8.0

7.8–8.2

Ghana

7,402 (12.6)

12.3–12.9

12.9

12.6–13.2

Lesotho

6,235 (10.6)

10.4–10.9

10.6

10.4–10.9

Liberia

7,247 (12.3)

12.1–12.6

12.4

12.1–12.6

Malawi

22,783 (38.8)

38.4–39.2

38.6

38.2–39

Namibia

8,406 (14.3)

14.0–14.6

14.4

14.1–14.6

Sao-Tome and Principe

1,917 (3.3)

3.1–3.4

3.1

3.0–3.3