Table 2.
Bivariate associations between preconception variables and birthweight (n = 115)
| Preconception variables | % (n) | Mean birthweight (SD) | P-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perceived health status | |||
| Excellent, very good | 72% (84) | 3385.1 (681.5) | 0.8755 |
| Good, fairb | 28% (32) | 3407.4 (667.1) | |
| BMI categories | |||
| Normal or underweight | 52% (60) | 3219.1 (656.8) | 0.0157 |
| Overweight | 33% (38) | 3575.0 (724.2) | |
| Obese | 15% (18) | 3587.0 (456.7) | |
| Psychosocial Hassles scale | |||
| Low stress | 54% (63) | 3457.3 (694.1) | 0.2571 |
| High stress | 46% (53) | 3313.7 (649.4) | |
| Smokes cigarettes | |||
| Yes | 22% (25) | 3203.5 (664.9) | 0.1165 |
| No | 78% (91) | 3443.2 (671.9) | |
| Uses alcohol | |||
| Yes | 54% (62) | 3380.9 (589.7) | 0.7199 |
| No | 46% (52) | 3428.1 (768.6) | |
| Uses daily multivitamin with folic acid | |||
| Yes | 30% (35) | 3443.6 (571.7) | 0.5661 |
| No | 70% (81) | 3369.0 (715.8) | |
| Consumes vegetables at least once/day | |||
| Yes | 41% (48) | 3586.8 (544.2) | 0.0054 |
| No | 59% (68) | 3250.9 (726.5) | |
| Consumes fruit at least once/day | |||
| Yes | 34% (39) | 3389.3 (694.3) | 0.9838 |
| No | 66% (77) | 3392.0 (669.5) | |
| Physical activity level meets recommendationsc | |||
| Yes | 22% (25) | 3533.5 (730.4) | 0.2346 |
| No | 78% (91) | 3351.5 (657.3) | |
SD standard deviation
One case had missing birthweight
a
Based on ANOVA f-test for BMI categories and t-tests for all other variables
b
No respondents reported “poor” health status
c
Thirty minutes or more of moderate or vigorous physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week (see text)