TABLE 3.
Birth outcomes and cord blood iron status of neonates born to women who were randomly assigned to receive placebo/folate or iron/folate supplements in pregnancy1
| Placebo/folate, (n = 792) | Iron/folate(n =803) | P | |
| Infant outcomes | |||
| Gestational age, wk | 39.7 (39.6, 39.7) | 39.6 (39.6, 39.7) | 0.76 |
| Birth weight, g | 3368 (3341, 3395) | 3355 (3330, 3383) | 0.55 |
| Birth length, cm | 49.7 (49.6, 49.8) | 49.7 (49.6, 49.8) | 0.65 |
| Cesarean delivery,2 n/total n (%) | 527/799 (66.0) | 571/815 (70.1) | 0.08 |
| Male, n/total n (%) | 422/812 (52.0) | 433/820 (52.8) | 0.74 |
| Cord blood iron status | |||
| Hemoglobin, g/L | 152 (151, 153) | 153 (152, 154) | 0.14 |
| Mean corpuscular volume, fL | 102 (102, 103) | 102 (102, 103) | 0.98 |
| ZPP/H,3 μmol/mol heme | 99.6 (97.2, 102.1) | 97.0 (94.7, 99.3) | 0.13 |
| SF,3 μg/L | 103 (97.9, 108) | 105 (101, 110) | 0.43 |
| sTfR,3 nmol/L | 30.9 (30.2, 31.6) | 30.5 (29.8, 31.2) | 0.44 |
| Log(sTfR:SF) ratio | −1.18 (-1.24, -1.13) | −1.21 (-1.27, -1.16) | 0.44 |
| Iron deficiency (SF <75 μg/L or ZPP/H >118 μmol/mol), n/total n (%) | 352/782 (45.0) | 371/789 (47.0) | 0.42 |
1
Values are means (95% CIs) for continuous variables and n/total n (%) for categorical variables unless otherwise indicated. Numbers (n) vary slightly due to missing data. SF, serum ferritin; sTfR, serum transferrin receptor; ZPP/H, zinc protoporphyrin/heme.
2
Per usual clinical practice in China, birth by cesarean delivery was common.
3
Values are geometric means (95% CIs); t tests were conducted on log-transformed SF, sTfR, and ZPP/H.