Table 1.
Summary statistics for the dependent and independent variables
| Variable name | N (%) |
|---|---|
| Dependent variable | |
| Type of healthcare provider | |
| Obstetricians and/or gynaecologists (the reference category) | 2,857 (56.0) |
| Family doctors/general practitioners/doctors (unspecified) | 1,920 (37.7) |
| Midwives/nurses/nurse practitioners | 321 (6.3) |
| Independent variables | |
| Maternal risk profile | |
| Maternal age at selected birth | |
| 15-34 | 4,271 (83,8) |
| ≥35 | 827 (16,2) |
| Health problems before pregnancy | |
| Yes | 813 (16,0) |
| No | 4,285 (84,0) |
| Use of medications or technical procedures to get pregnant | |
| Yes | 253 (5,0) |
| No | 4,845 (95,0) |
| Body mass index before pregnancy | |
| Under weight | 284 (5,6) |
| Normal weight (the reference category) | 2,956 (58,0) |
| Overweight | 1,113 (21,8) |
| Obese | 745 (14,6) |
| Planned caesarean for medical reasons | |
| Yes | 601 (11,8) |
| No | 4,497 (88,2) |
| Reproductive history | |
| Any miscarriage, tubal or ectopic pregnancy or stillbirth history | |
| Yes | 1,595 (31,3) |
| No | 3,503 (68,7) |
| Any premature birth before | |
| Yes | 490 (9,6) |
| No | 4,608 (90,4) |
| Parity | |
| 1 (the reference category) | 2,432 (47,7) |
| 2 | 1,913 (37,5) |
| 3 | 544 (10,7) |
| 4 | 147 (2,9) |
| 5 + | 62 (1,2) |
| Prenatal care history | |
| Received prenatal care as early as wanted | |
| Yes | 4,554 (89.3) |
| No | 544 (10.7) |
| Number of prenatal visits | |
| 1-4 | 51 (1.0) |
| ≥5 | 5,047 (99.0) |
| Socio-economic and demographic factors | |
| Area of residence | |
| Rural | 1,103 (21.6) |
| Semi-urban (the reference category) | 1,435 (28.2) |
| Urban | 2,560 (50.2) |
| Province of prenatal care | |
| Atlantic | 918 (18.0) |
| Quebec | 992 (19.5) |
| Ontario (the reference category) | 1,578 (31.0) |
| Manitoba | 291 (5.7) |
| Saskatchewan | 269 (5.3) |
| Alberta | 525 (10.3) |
| British Columbia | 525 (10.3) |
| Maternal education | |
| Less than high school | 359 (7.0) |
| High-school graduate | 702 (13.8) |
| Post-secondary diploma (the reference category) | 2,194 (43.0) |
| University graduate | 1,843 (36.2) |
| Household income | |
| <20,000 | 411 (8.4) |
| $20,000-$39,000 | 921 (18.9) |
| $40,000-$59,000 | 988 (20.2) |
| $60,000-$79,000 | 933 (19.1) |
| ≥$80,000 (the reference category) | 1,631 (33.4) |
| Nativity | |
| Canadians (the reference category) | 4,080 (80,0) |
| Aboriginals | 210 (4,1) |
| Immigrants | 808 (15,9) |
| Marital status | |
| Married (the reference category) | 3,460 (67,9) |
| Common-law partner | 1,229 (24,1) |
| Divorced | 69 (1,4) |
| Single | 340 (6,7) |
| Employment status during pregnancy | |
| Employed | 3,518 (69,0) |
| Not employed | 1,580 (31,0) |