Table 1.
Subject characteristics at time of enrolment
| Prenatal multivitamin groups, differing in iron content | |||
| 60 mg iron group n = 75 | 35 mg iron group n = 92 | Total N = 167 | |
| Study inclusion: | |||
| a) Had not started multivitamin in current pregnancy | 27 (36%) | 28 (30%) | 55 (33%) |
| b) Had discontinued multivitamin in current pregnancy | 48 (64%) | 64 (70%) | 112 (67%) |
| Reasons for (a) or (b): | |||
| Nausea and/or vomiting (NVP) | 62 (83%) | 68 (74%) | 130 (78%) |
| Tablet sizeψ, swallowing difficulties, other tablet properties (i.e. taste, smell) | 33 (44%) | 20 (22%) | 53 (32%) |
| Constipationβ | 4 (5%) | 14 (15%) | 18 (11%) |
| Abdominal pain, GI irritability, diarrhea, heartburn, reflux | 10 (13%) | 13 (14%) | 23 (14%) |
| GI medical condition (i.e. IBS, Crohn's disease) | 2 (3%) | 2 (2%) | 4 (2%) |
| Doctor's advice, not supplement taker, or lacked information | 5 (7%) | 6 (7%) | 11 (7%) |
|
Maternal age (years) Mean ± standard deviation |
30 ± 5 | 31 ± 5 | 31 ± 5 |
| Gravidity: | |||
| First pregnancy | 23 (31%) | 20 (22%) | 43 (26%) |
| Second or higher pregnancy | 52 (69%) | 72 (78%) | 124 (74%) |
| Multivitamin intake in a previous pregnancy* | 45/52 (87%) | 59/72 (82%) | 104/124 (84%) |
| Discontinued multivitamin in a previous pregnancy* | 26/45 (58%) | 28/59 (47%) | 54/104 (52%) |
*Data missing for 1 subject.
ψ For the subjects who reported issues with tablet size as the reason for non-adherence with previous multivitamins, 22/33 (66%) in the '60 mg' group and 13/20 (65%) in the '35 mg' group still commenced supplementation with the assigned multivitamins.
β For the subjects who reported constipation as the reason for non-adherence with previous multivitamins, 2/4 (50%) in the '60 mg' group and 12/14 (86%) in the '35 mg' group still commenced supplementation with the assigned multivitamins.