Table 2.
Socio-demographic and laboratory parameters of the mothers at baseline
| Variables | Breastfeeding: control (n = 63) | Breastfeeding: supplemented (n = 66) | p value for the difference between groups | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age years Mean (SD) | 24.9 (4.21) | 25.85 (4.85) | 0.241 | |
|
Marital status: Single/cohabiting (% within group) |
59 (93.7) | 65 (98.5) | 0.155 | |
|
Access to water (% within group) |
Own tap | 36 (57.1) | 32 (48.5) | 0.327 |
| Public tap | 26 (41.3) | 34 (51.5) | ||
| Other | 1(1.6) | 0 (0) | ||
| Access to Electricity (% within group) | 38 (60.3) | 30 (45.5) | 0.091 | |
|
Access to Sanitation (% within group) |
Waterborne | 29 (46) | 28 (42.4) | 0.522 |
| Pit | 33 (52.4) | 38(57.6) | ||
| Nil | 1 (1.6) | 0 (0) | ||
|
Source of income (%within group) |
Self | 12 (19) | 16 (24.2) | 0.286 |
| Partner | 25 (39.7) | 23 (34.8) | ||
| Family | 21 (33.3) | 26 (39.4) | ||
| Grants | 5 (7.9) | 1 (1.5) | ||
| Food insecurity (% within group) | 20 (31.7) | 21 (31.8) | 0.993 | |
| Disclosure to family (% within group) | 29 (46) | 27 (40.9) | 0.557 | |
| Disclosure to partner (%within group) | 38 (60.3) | 40 (60.6) | 0.973 | |
| Contraception use (% within group) | 48 (76.2) | 46 (69.7) | 0.407 | |
| Median years of schooling (IQR) | 11 (10-12) | 11 (10-12) | 0.515 | |
| Median size of household (IQR) | 3 (2-5) | 3 (2-5) | 0.901 | |
| Median parity (IQR) | 2 (1-3) | 2 (1-3) | 0.829 | |
| Past history of TB (% within group) | 1 (1.6) | 3 (4.5) | 0.375 | |
| Past history of STI (% within group) | 10 (15.9) | 10 (15.2) | 0.583 | |
| BMI kg/m2 Median (IQR) | 26.53 (23.37-30.1) | 26.18 (23-30.67) | 0.793 | |
| CD4 cells/μL Median(IQR) | 413 (312-492) | 443.5 (294.8-564) | 0.658 | |
| Haemoglobin g/dL Mean (SD) | 11.84 (1.59) | 11.47 (1.52) | 0.183 | |
| Total Protein g/L Mean (SD) | 79.12 (7.12) | 79.45 (8.22) | 0.808 | |
| Albumin g/L Mean (SD) | 32.27 (4.21) | 30.86 (4.85) | 0.065 | |