Table 1. Background characteristics of children and family1.
| Group | Former IDA | Control | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total n | 23 | 24 | |
| Child | |||
| Gender (% male) (n) | 78.3%(18) | 58.3%(14) | .212 |
| Age at preschool follow-up (years) | 3.74±.45 | 3.67±.48 | .529 |
| Characteristics in infancy | |||
| Birth weight (kg) | 3.43±.39 | 3.5±.35 | .513 |
| Birth length (cm) | 50.6±2.42 | 50.9±1.51 | .545 |
| Gestational age (weeks) | 39.3±.96 | 39.5±1.1 | .513 |
| Growth at 6 months | |||
| Weight (kg) | 8.2±.85 | 8.3±.83 | .740 |
| Length (cm) | 67.3±2.09 | 67.2±2.15 | .900 |
| Weight gain birth to 6 months (kg) | 4.8±.73 | 4.8±.74 | .963 |
| Growth in infancy (12 months) | |||
| Weight-for-Age (Z-score) | 0.49±2.34 | 0.27±0.84 | .668 |
| Height-for-Age (Z-score) | 0.41±2.32 | -0.13±0.93 | .322 |
| Iron status at study entry in infancy | |||
| Hemoglobin (g/L) | 101.8±6.4 | 121.3±7.1 | <.001 |
| Mean corpuscular volume (fL) | 68.0±4.1 | 75.3±3.2 | <.001 |
| Erythrocyte protoporphyrin (μg/dL rbcs) | 164.1±97.5 | 86.6±22.1 | .001 |
| Ferritin (μg/L) | 7.7±8.2 | 14.4±11 | .025 |
| Family | |||
| Socioeconomic status index | 29.7±5.69 | 26.0±5.76 | .043 |
| HOME score in infancy | 30.3±4.89 | 32.0±1.00 | .447 |
| Father's education (years) | 9.6±3.17 | 8.68±3.80 | .386 |
| Mother's education (years) | 10.4±2.27 | 9.58±3.02 | .333 |
| Mother's IQ | 85.5±12.74 | 83.9±11.79 | .687 |
1
Values are means ± SD for continuous variables and percentages (n) for categorical variables. Statistical significance was determined by the Student t-test or Chi square. By design, IDA and nonanemic control group differed in hematologic status with all iron measures being significant. Ns vary due to missing background data in infancy, especially HOME score. Higher scores on the socioeconomic status index indicate lower status.