Table 1.
Characteristics of mothers and children (n = 809) †
| Variable | Intervention group (n = 406) | Comparison group (n = 403) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal characteristics | |||
| Median Age (in years) (IQR) | 23 (20–25) | 25 (24–27) | |
| Age | p < 0.001 | ||
| < 18 years | 17 (4.2) | 0 (0) | |
| 18–25 years | 288 (70.9) | 215 (53.4) | |
| 26–34 years | 96 (23.7) | 188 (46.6) | |
| ≥ 35 years | 5 (1.2) | 0 (0) | |
| Parity | |||
| ≤ 2 | 354 (87.2) | 361 (89.5) | p = 0.01 |
| ≥ 3 | 52 (12.8) | 42 (10.5) | |
| Birth Interval ≤ 2 years | 11 (2.7) | 29 (7.2) | p = 0.03 |
| BMI at pregnancy registration | |||
| ≤ 18.5 (underweight) | 106 (26.1) | 128 (31.9) | p = 0.23 |
| 18.51–24.99 (healthy) | 244 (60.1) | 217 (54.1) | |
| 25.0–29.9 (overweight) | 47 (11.6) | 44 (10.9) | |
| ≥ 30 (obese) | 9 (2.2) | 12 (3.0) | |
| Baseline hemoglobin status | |||
| ≥ 11 g/dl (normal) | 187 (46.1) | 176 (44.1) | p = 0.88 |
| 10–10.9 g/dl (mild anemia) | 187 (46.1) | 192 (48.1) | |
| 7.9–9.9 g/dl (moderate anemia) | 30 (7.3) | 30 (7.5) | |
| < 7 g/dl (severe anemia) | 2 (0.5) | 1 (0.3) | |
| Missing | 0 (0) | 4 (1.0) | |
| Maternal hemoglobin status at 3rd antenatal visit | |||
| ≥ 11 g/dl (normal) | 208 (55.0) | 185 (49.7) | p = 0.01 |
| 10–10.9 g/dl (mild anemia) | 159 (42.1) | 151 (40.6) | |
| 7.9–9.9 g/dl (moderate anemia) | 11 (2.9) | 35 (9.4) | |
| < 7 g/dl (severe anemia) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.3) | |
| Missing | 28 (6.9) | 31 (7.7) | |
| Education status | |||
| No formal schooling | 32 (7.8) | 25 (6.2) | p < 0.001 |
| Upto Class 10 | 243 (59.9) | 213 (52.8) | |
| Class 10 and above | 131 (32.3) | 165 (41.0) | |
| Total number of ANC visits ≥ 4 | 341 (83.9) | 388 (96.3) | p = 0.004 |
| Gestational weight gain (in kilograms) | |||
| Median (IQR) | 9 (7–11) | 8 (6–10) | p = 0.04 |
| < 7 Kg | 92 (23.3) | 122 (30.6) | |
| 7-8.9 Kg | 95 (24.0) | 97 (24.3) | |
| >9 Kg | 208 (52.7) | 180 (45.1) | |
| Missing | 11 (2.7) | 4 (1.0) | |
| Place of delivery | |||
| Home | 3 (0.7) | 11 (2.7) | p = 0.29 |
| Institution | 403 (99.3) | 392 (97.3) | |
| Infant characteristics | |||
| Male | 198 (48.8) | 199 (49.0) | p = 0.86 |
| Gestational age | |||
| Preterm (≤ 36 weeks) | 59 (14.5) | 40 (9.9) | p = 0.22 |
| Term (37–41 weeks) | 322 (79.3) | 339 (84.1) | |
| Post-term (42 weeks) | 25 (6.2) | 24 (6.0) | |
| Birth weight (in Kilograms) | |||
| Median (IQR) | 2.7 (2.5-3.0) | 2.7 (2.5-3.0) | p = 0.54 |
| Birth weight ≤ 2.5 Kg (Low birth weight) | 119 (29.3) | 129 (32.0) | p = 0.27 |
| Breastfed within 1 h of birth | 360 (88.7) | 211 (52.4) | p < 0.001 |
| Exclusively breastfed up to 6 months | 322 (79.3) | 229 (56.8) | p < 0.001 |
| Age at the time of contact†† | |||
| 12–23 months | 241 (60.4) | 227 (56.3) | p < 0.001 |
| 24–35 months | 158 (39.6) | 176 (43.7) | |
| Missing | 7 (1.7) | 0 (0) | |
| Prevalence of undernutrition | |||
| Overall (12–35 months) | n = 406 | n = 403 | |
| Stunted | 72 (17.8) | 124 (30.8) | < 0.001 |
| Wasted | 32 (8.0) | 79 (19.7) | < 0.001 |
| Underweight | 64 (16.0) | 134 (33.2) | < 0.001 |
| 12–23 months | n = 241 | n = 227 | |
| Stunted | 35 (14.5) | 57 (25.1) | 0.004 |
| Wasted | 18 (7.5) | 49 (21.6) | < 0.001 |
| Underweight | 35 (14.1) | 64 (28.2) | < 0.001 |
| 24–35 months | n = 196 | n = 199 | |
| Stunted | 44 (22.5) | 64 (32.2) | 0.03 |
| Wasted | 14 (7.1) | 42 (21.1) | < 0.001 |
| Underweight | 25 (19.2) | 70 (39.8) | < 0.001 |
†Data are n (column %) unless otherwise indicated
†† Age at the time of contact signifies the child’s age when the anthropometric measurements were recorded by the study team