TABLE I.
Demographic Characteristics and Maternal Periconceptional Intake of Folates Among Neural Tube Defect Cases and Non-malformed Controls
| Hispanic | White, non-Hispanic | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases (n=166) % | Controls (n=328) % | Cases (n=56) % | Controls (n=126) % | Cases (n=222) % | Controls (n=454) % | |
| Infant sex | ||||||
| Male | 48 | 55 | 45 | 48 | 47 | 53 |
| Female | 47 | 45 | 46 | 52 | 47 | 47 |
| Unknown | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Maternal education | ||||||
| 0–11 years | 56 | 43 | 4 | 5 | 42 | 32 |
| High school diploma/GED | 22 | 30 | 16 | 13 | 21 | 25 |
| > 12 years | 22 | 27 | 80 | 82 | 36 | 42 |
| Missing data | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Use of folic acid supplements | ||||||
| Yes | 45 | 54 | 80 | 79 | 54 | 61 |
| No | 55 | 46 | 20 | 21 | 46 | 39 |
| Daily dietary intake of folates | ||||||
| Q1 | 23 | 23 | 27 | 32 | 24 | 25 |
| Q2-Q4 | 77 | 77 | 73 | 68 | 76 | 75 |
| Overall intake of folates | ||||||
| Lowa | 16 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 10 |
| Highb | 84 | 90 | 96 | 91 | 87 | 90 |
| Mean maternal age at delivery, years (SD) | 27.15 (5.74) | 26.84 (6.13) | 31.51 (5.69) | 31.90 (5.62) | 28.25 (6.02) | 28.25 (6.40) |
Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation.
a
Women in the lowest quartile of maternal folate intakes (Q1 ≤ 309.49 μg/100g/day) who did not take supplemental folic acid in the periconceptional period.
b
All other combinations of folate intake (Q2, Q3 or Q4) and folic acid supplementation (yes/no).