Table 1

Characteristics of students in the five African subregions

Variable	Sub-African region					Pooled	χ²
	WA	NA	SEA	SA	EA	Pooled
	Weighted %	Weighted %	Weighted %	Weighted %	Weighted %	Weighted %
Sex							8.36***
Male	60.2	53.8	52.4	47.3	49.1	52.8
Female	39.8	46.2	47.6	52.7	50.9	47.2
Age (years)							30.92***
≤14	7.2	43.1	30.8	24.6	61.0	41.7
15–16	23.9	34.4	37.8	32.5	30.5	31.4
≥17	68.9	22.5	31.4	42.9	8.5	26.9
School grade							19.94***
Low level	13.8	63.0	79.5	53.9	73.6	59.8
High level	86.2	37.0	20.5	46.1	26.4	40.2
Experienced hunger (past 30 days)							53.77***
Yes	37.3	65.0	51.8	46.4	74.1	61.6
No	62.7	35.0	48.2	53.6	25.9	38.4
Number of days bullied (past 30 days)							16.51***
Never	57.3	61.3	56.4	58.7	73.2	64.5
1–2 times	22.5	23.8	30.6	22.6	15.3	21.0
2–3 times	20.2	14.9	13.0	18.7	11.5	14.5
Experienced insomnia (past 30 days)							92.12***
No	26.5	39.8	38.4	38.0	61.0	45.3
Yes	73.5	60.2	61.6	62.0	39.0	54.7
Close friends							9.27***
None	13.0	10.1	10.4	13.8	9.8	10.6
1–2	46.8	36.7	38.3	49.6	38.1	39.6
≥3	40.2	53.2	51.3	36.6	52.1	49.8
Smoking exposure (past 7 days)							8.00***
Never	58.3	58.7	46.3	44.5	54.8	55.4
1–2	18.2	20.6	28.8	21.9	17.4	19.9
≥3	23.5	20.7	24.9	33.6	27.8	24.7
Parent smoker							16.94***
No	90.1	80.3	86.3	83.4	88.7	86.0
Yes	9.9	19.7	13.7	16.6	11.3	14.0
Alcohol intake							108.59***
No	73.5	–	87.1	66.4	95.5	87.6
Yes	26.5	–	12.9	33.6	4.5	12.4
Truancy							2.07
No	70.2	69.1	75.3	75.8	72.2	71.4
Yes	29.8	30.9	24.7	24.2	27.8	28.6
Times attacked (past 12 months)							51.13***
Never	69.2	76.0	65.8	63.0	46.9	62.2
1	13.2	11.7	17.2	14.4	20.4	15.9
2–3	12.4	8.3	11.7	13.1	20.8	14.3
≥4	5.2	4.0	5.3	9.5	11.9	7.6
Experienced loneliness (past 30 days)							46.28***
No	31.1	37.1	43.4	32.4	58.4	44.7
Yes	68.9	62.9	56.6	67.6	41.6	55.3
Times injured (past 12 months)							16.17***
None	49.8	67.9	45.8	50.0	61.2	59.4
1-2	27.5	19.7	29.3	25.7	23.1	23.5
≥3	22.7	12.4	24.9	24.3	15.7	17.1

***p<0.001.
EA, East Africa; NA, North Africa; SA, South Africa; SEA, South-East Africa; WA, West Africa.