Table 1.
Items ingested by low-income Mexican-born women who practiced pica during pregnancy in Mexico (33 of 75 women interviewed) and in the UnitedStates (46 of 150 women interviewed)
| Mexico (n = 33) | United States (n = 46) | |
|---|---|---|
| Item | No. (%) | |
| Dirt | 7 (21) | 11 (24) |
| Bean stones * | 5 (15) | 17 (37) |
| Magnesium carbonate | 1 (3) | 8 (17) |
| Ashes | 1 (3) | 5 (11) |
| Clay | 0 | 4 (9) |
| Ice | 0 | 18 (39) |
| Other † | 14 (42) | 17 (37) |
*
See text.
†
Including (in Mexico) battery acid, tar, fabric softener, shampoo, soap, starch, thread, paint thinner, laundry bluing, spearment leaves, and bricks ;and (in the United States) eggshells, starch, salt, paper, lipstick, pieces of clay pot, and adobe.