Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of study participants
| Characteristic | Control (SPCQ and placebo) | Intervention (SPAZ) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 1,382) | (n = 1,393) | |||
| Age, years | 24.5 | [5.4] | 24.4 | [5.5] |
| Height, cm; n = 2,729 | 154.3 | [6.0] | 154.1 | [5.8] |
| Body mass index, kg/m2; n = 2,721 | 22.8 | [2.9] | 22.8 | [2.9] |
| Mid-upper arm circumference, cm; n = 2,714 | 23.9 | [2.5] | 24.0 | [2.6] |
| Fundal height, cm; n = 2,771 | 21.1 | [4.2] | 21.0 | [4.3] |
| Haemoglobin (Hb), g/dL; n = 2,650 | 9.7 | [1.5] | 9.7 | [1.5] |
| Anaemia, Hb <11 g/dL | 1,058/1,313 | (80.6) | 1,099/1,337 | (82.2) |
| Syphilis | 15/1,122 | (1.3) | 20/1,166 | (1.7) |
| No. of previous pregnancies | ||||
| 0 | 681 | (49.4) | 709 | (51.0) |
| 1 | 292 | (21.2) | 279 | (20.1) |
| ≥2 | 406 | (29.4) | 403 | (29.0) |
| Previous adverse pregnancy outcome | 103/1,375 | (7.5) | 119/1,389 | (8.6) |
| Used bed net before enrolment (2 wks) | ||||
| Not used | 322 | (23.4) | 347 | (25.0) |
| Used, without insecticide | 588 | (42.7) | 561 | (40.4) |
| Used, insecticide treated | 466 | (33.9) | 481 | (34.6) |
| Given new bed net at enrolment | 873/1,375 | (63.5) | 849/1,385 | (61.3) |
| Used antimalarials in this pregnancy | 146/1,340 | (10.9) | 161/1,366 | (11.8) |
| Peripheral parasitaemia by microscopy | ||||
| Any speciesa | 100/1,376 | (7.3) | 104/1,390 | (7.5) |
| Plasmodium falciparum | 87 | (6.3) | 90 | (6.5) |
| Plasmodium vivax | 11 | (0.8) | 12 | (0.9) |
| Smoker | 249/1,380 | (18.0) | 275/1,392 | (19.8) |
| Rural residence | 844/1,375 | (61.4) | 876/1,389 | (63.1) |
| Literate | 1,223/1,376 | (88.9) | 1,248/1,391 | (89.7) |
| Income-generating activity (woman) | 728/1,304 | (55.8) | 729/1,326 | (55.0) |
| Income-generating activity (partner) | 939/1,358 | (69.2) | 947/1,378 | (68.7) |
| Highlander parentage | 99/1,380 | (7.2) | 78/1,393 | (5.6) |
Data are mean [standard deviation], or number (%).
aIncludes two P. malariae in the control, and one P. malariae, one P. ovale, and one mixed P. falciparum and P. ovale infections in the intervention group.