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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Sep 17.
Published in final edited form as: Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Apr 24;67(7):708–717. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.71

Table 5.

Risk factors for recovery from baseline iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in the postpartum period (Hb/MCV recovery)

No. of recovered IDA patients Univariate rate ratio (95% CI)a P-valuea Multivariate rate ratio (95% CI)a P-valuea
Maternal age (years) <20 277 0.81 (0.71, 0.93) 0.001b 0.8 (0.7, 0.92) 0.04b
 20–24 802 1.0 1.0
  25–29 583 1.09 (0.98, 1.21) 1.04 (0.94, 1.16)
  ≥30 369 1.10 (0.98, 1.25) 1.11 (0.98, 1.26)
Baseline BMI (kg/m2)
 <22 530 0.97 (0.87, 1.09) 0.71b
  22–24.99 685 1.0
  25–29.99 479 0.97 (0.86, 1.09)
  ≥30 114 1.00 (0.82, 1.22)
Postpartum BMI (kg/m2)c
 <22 640 0.91 (0.81, 1.02) 0.02d 0.93 (0.83, 1.05) 0.30b
 22–24.99 535 1.0 1.0
 25–29.99 353 1.07 (0.94, 1.22) 1.09 (0.94, 1.27)
 ≥30 68 0.80 (0.62, 1.03) 0.82 (0.62, 1.07)
Baseline MUAC
 >Median 672 1.0 0.47b
 ≤Median 1372 0.99 (0.90, 1.09)
Postpartum MUACc
 >Median 479 1.0 0.009d 1.0 0.12b
 ≤Median 1565 0.98 (0.88, 1.09) 0.93 (0.81, 1.07)
No. of previous pregnancies
 0 (Primigravida) 889 1.0 0.57b
 1 572 1.07 (0.96, 1.19)
 2 318 1.10 (0.97, 1.25)
 ≥3 253 0.99 (0.87, 1.14)
Weeks gestation at baseline
 ≥Median 776 0.97 (0.89, 1.06) 0.71b
 <Median 1268 1.0
Baseline CD4 count
 ≥500 758 1.0
 <500 1286 0.97 (0.77, 1.21) 0.26b
Postpartum CD4 countc
 ≥500 1115 1.0 1.0
 <500 929 1.20 (0.95, 1.51) 0.002b 1.04 (0.82, 1.31) 0.25b
Socio-economic characteristics
Per day spending for food
  >500 767 1.0
  ≤500 1277 1.05 (0.96, 1.16) 0.27
Marital status
  Married 669 1.0
  Other 1375 0.98 (0.90, 1.08) 0.73
Education status
  0–4 256 0.78 (0.62, 0.98) 0.02b 0.76 (0.60, 0.95) 0.01b
  5–7 1314 0.84 (0.69, 1.02) 0.83 (0.68, 1.02)
  8–11 353 0.91 (0.73, 1.12) 0.97 (0.78, 1.20)
  12 or more 110 1.0 1.0
Owns/possesses
  Sofa 1442 1.04 (0.95, 1.15) 0.39
  No 602 1.0
  Television 717 1.06 (0.97, 1.16) 0.20
  No 1327 1.0
  Cohabitates with partner 399 1.11 (1.00, 1.24) 0.07 1.11 (0.99, 1.24) 0.07
  No 1645 1.0 1.0
  Radio 1677 1.02 (0.91, 1.14) 0.77
  No 367 1.0
  Refrigerator 446 1.04 (0.93, 1.15) 0.51
  No 1598 1.0
  Fan 973 1.03 (0.95, 1.13) 0.45
  No 1071 1.0
Filmer–Pritchett wealth score
  ≥Median 1006 1.0
  <Median 1038 0.95 (0.87, 1.03) 0.22
Dietary characteristics
 Consumed alcohol at enrollment 185 0.91 (0.78, 1.07) 0.25
  No alcohol 1034 1.0
 History of meat use at enrollment
  At least one per month 611 1.08 (0.98, 1.18) 0.13 1.14 (1.03, 1.25) 0.009
  Less 1433 1.0 1.0
History of soil use at enrollment:
  At least one per month 1812 1.29 (1.12, 1.48) 0.0004 1.21 (1.05, 1.39) 0.007
  Less 232 1.0 1.0
Fe sups adherence during pregnancy
  ≤Median 1597 1.08 (0.97, 1.20) 0.15 1.20 (1.07, 1.34) 0.002
  >Median 447 1.0 1.0
Breastfeeding since last visit
  Yes 56 0.90 (0.69, 1.17) 0.43
  No 1988 1.0
Iron intakec
  Tertile 1 46 1.0 0.13b 1.0 0.65b
  Tertile 2 39 0.90 (0.58, 1.37) 0.89 (0.50, 1.60)
  Tertile 3 31 0.71 (0.45, 1.12) 0.66 (0.30, 1.46)
Vitamin C intakec
  Tertile 1 36 1.0 0.14b 1.0 0.40b
  Tertile 2 32 0.78 (0.51, 1.20) 0.90 (0.56, 1.45)
  Tertile 3 48 0.74 (0.47, 1.16) 0.85 (0.49, 1.48)
Vitamin B12 intakec
  Tertile 1 9 1.0 0.75b
  Tertile 2 37 0.45 (0.22, 0.89)
  Tertile 3 70 0.95 (0.64, 1.42)
Vitamin B6 intakec
  Tertile 1 41 1.0 0.04b 1.0 0.89b
  Tertile 2 31 0.88 (0.57, 1.34) 1.09 (0.64, 1.87)
  Tertile 3 44 0.78 (0.49, 1.23) 1.27 (0.63, 2.58)
Folate intakec
  Tertile 1 31 1.0 0.03b 1.0 0.17b
  Tertile 2 36 0.69 (0.44, 1.08) 0.81 (0.48, 1.37)
  Tertile 3 49 0.76 (0.49, 1.16) 1.02 (0.55, 1.90)
Heme iron intakec
  Tertile 1 96 1.0 0.50b
  Tertile 2 19 1.04 (0.64, 1.70)
  Tertile 3 1 4.50 (0.63, 32.37)
Medical characteristics
 History of eclampsia 15 1.12 (0.68, 1.87) 0.65
 No 2029 1.0
 Fansidar this pregnancy 355 1.03 (0.92, 1.15) 0.64
 No 1689 1.0
 Diarrhea this pregnancy 72 0.87 (0.69, 1.10) 0.26
 No 1972 1.0
 Vaginal bleeding this pregnancy 81 0.99 (0.79, 1.24) 0.92
 No 1963 1.0
 Malaria this pregnancy (prior to enrollment) 566 0.99 (0.90, 1.10) 0.92
 No 1478 1.0
 Presumptive malariac 16 0.76 (0.46, 1.24) 0.27
 No 2028 1.0
 Postpartum malariac 561 1.20 (1.09, 1.33) 0.0003 1.02 (0.92, 1.13) 0.75
 No 1483 1.0 1.0
 Chlamydia 2 0.32 (0.08, 1.26) 0.10 0.28 (0.07, 1.14) 0.08
 No 2042 1.0 1.0
Delivery characteristics
Delivery type
  Spontaneous vaginal delivery 1867 1.0 1.0
  Other 168 0.79 (0.68, 0.93) 0.004 0.76 (0.65, 0.90) 0.0009
 Blood loss (hemorrhage/transfusion at delivery) 14 0.92 (0.54, 1.56) 0.76
 No 2030 1.0

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index;

a

CI, confidence interval; Fe sups, iron supplements; Hb, hemoglobin; MCV, mean corpuscular volume; TSh, Tanzanian shillings. Risk ratio, confidence intervals and P-values are from Cox proportional hazards models.

b

P-value corresponds to trend test.

c

Time-varying covariates. Analysis performed using Andersen–Gill data structure with 7127 observations during follow-up period.

d

Association was significantly nonlinear. P-value corresponds to the test of overall significance.