Growth Monitoring Study (GMS) dataset for the analysis on the association between paternal labour migration and growth of the left-behind children

This dataset supports a publication on the association between paternal labour migration and growth of the left-behind children. Introduction We aimed to determine the association between paternal labour migration and the growth of the left-behind children in Dhanusha district, Nepal, where child stunting and international labour migration are highly prevalent. Methods We used growth data at birth, six months, one year and two years from a birth cohort study conducted 2012-2014, and growth data at age six years collected in 2018. We collected household migration history data to determine the children’s exposure to paternal migration. The primary outcome was child length/height-for age z-score (HAZ). Children’s body circumferences, skinfold thicknesses, body composition, tibia length and grip strength were secondary outcomes measured at six years. We tested i) the overall association between paternal international migration and the growth of the left-behind child; the roles of ii) the duration of migration (≤12mvs >12m) and iii) child age (≤6mvs 12-72m) as moderating factors; iv) the association between receipt of remittances from the migrant father and child growth outcomes; and v) stratified the main analyses by child gender. We fitted mixed-effects linear regression models for longitudinal data and linear regression models for cross-sectional data, adjusted for potential confounders. Results Analysing across all time points, daughters of labour migrants had lower HAZ than daughters of non-migrants (-0.13 95% CI: -0.24, -0.03), but no overall association was found in boys. The negative associations were largest at