Table 1.
Maternal demographics by stress in the NEST cohort.
| VARIABLE | LOW STRESS (n = 415) | HIGH STRESS (TOP 25th PERCENTILE) (n = 122) | P-VALUE* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal age (years) | |||
| 18 to <20 | 9 (2%) | 1 (1%) | 0.11 |
| 20 to 29 | 221 (53%) | 78 (65%) | |
| 30 to 39 | 167 (40%) | 38 (32%) | |
| 40+ | 18 (5%) | 2 (2%) | |
| Mean age (SD) | 29 (5.86) | 27.5 (5.45) | |
| Maternal Race/Ethnicity* | |||
| White | 127 (31%) | 25 (21%) | 0.051 |
| Black | 194 (47%) | 65 (56%) | |
| Hispanic | 81 (19%) | 24 (20%) | |
| Other | 13 (3%) | 3 (3%) | |
| Parity | |||
| Nulliparous | 141 (35%) | 41 (36%) | 0.14 |
| Multiparous | 264 (65%) | 74 (64%) | |
| Household income* | |||
| <$10,000 | 69 (20%) | 32 (33%) | 0.014 |
| $10,000–24,999 | 88 (25%) | 29 (30%) | |
| $25,000–$49,999 | 58 (17%) | 16 (17%) | |
| $50,000–$100,000 | 83 (24%) | 15 (15%) | |
| >$100,000 | 48 (14%) | 5 (5%) | |
| Raised blood pressure | |||
| Yes | 26 (6%) | 8 (7%) | 0.15 |
| No | 389 (94%) | 105 (93%) | |
| Maternal BMI at LMP | |||
| <18.5 | 16 (5%) | 3 (3%) | 0.58 |
| 18.5–<25 | 132 (38%) | 37 (39%) | |
| 25–<30 | 89 (25%) | 25 (26%) | |
| 30–<35 | 64 (18%) | 14 (15%) | |
| 35–<40 | 27 (8%) | 7 (7%) | |
| 40+ | 21 (6%) | 9 (10%) | |
| Mean (SD) | 29 (7.46) | 30 (7.96) | |
| Maternal smoking* | |||
| Smoking prior to pregnancy | 37 (9%) | 11 (9%) | <0.01 |
| Smoking during pregnancy | 70 (17%) | 30 (26%) | |
| No smoking | 304 (74%) | 76 (65%) | |
| Folic acid supplementation | |||
| Yes | 297 (72%) | 75 (64%) | 0.20 |
| No | 115 (28%) | 43 (36%) | |
| Infant sex | |||
| Male | 197 (54%) | 58 (59%) | 0.66 |
| Female | 171 (46%) | 41 (41%) | |
| Delivery mode | |||
| Vaginal | 251 (68%) | 69 (69%) | 0.51 |
| C-section | 117 (32%) | 31 (31%) | |
Notes:
*
Chi-squared P-value. Numbers do not necessarily match due to missing values. This table describes the demographic characteristics of the mother–infant dyads included in our study grouped by the exposures of prenatal high versus low stress. Chi-squared tests were used to assess any differences in the distribution of these demographic variables between the two groups.