Table 2.
Mean ± SEM age and concentration of micronutrients, hemoglobin, and inflammation biomarkers among women of childbearing age (n= 713–743 women) by province 1.
| South Kivu | Kongo Central | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total, n (%) | 444 (59.7) | 300 (40.3) | NA |
| Age, year | 29.2 ± 0.4 | 29.9 ± 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Micronutrients | |||
| Vitamin B12, pmol/L | 528 ± 11 | 684 ± 16 | <0.00001 |
| RBP (unadjusted), µmol/L | 1.89 ± 0.03 | 1.70 ± 0.04 | <0.00001 |
| RBP (adjusted) 2, µmol/L | 1.95 ± 0.03 | 1.75 ± 0.04 | <0.00001 |
| Zinc (unadjusted), µmol/L | 8.9 ± 0.1 | 9.0 ± 0.3 | 0.9 |
| Zinc (adjusted) 3, µmol/L | 9.1 ± 0.8 | 9.2 ± 0.3 | 0.8 |
| Folate, nmol/L | 38 ± 0.9 | 22 ± 0.8 | <0.00001 |
| Ferritin (unadjusted), µg/L | 80 ± 3 | 61 ± 2 | <0.00001 |
| Ferritin (adjusted) 2, µg/L | 72 ± 2 | 54 ± 2 | <0.00001 |
| sTfR, mg/L | 6.8 ± 0.1 | 7.3 ± 0.2 | 0.07 |
| Hb, g/L | |||
| Unadjusted Hb | 135 ± 1 | 127 ± 1 | <0.00001 |
| Hb adjusted for altitude | 131 ± 1 | 126 ± 1 | <0.00001 |
| Hb adjusted for ethnicity | 145 ± 1 | 137 ± 1 | <0.00001 |
| Hb adjusted for altitude and ethnicity | 141 ± 1 | 136 ± 1 | <0.00001 |
| Inflammation Biomarkers | |||
| Acute, CRP, mg/L | 2.09 ± 0.28 | 2.28 ± 0.31 | 0.6 |
| Chronic, AGP, g/L | 0.83 ± 0.02 | 0.87 ± 0.03 | 0.3 |
1 AGP, α-1 acid glycoprotein; CRP, C-reactive protein; Hb, hemoglobin; NA, not applicable; RBP, retinol binding protein (vitamin A status); SEM, standard error of the mean; sTfR, soluble transferrin receptor. Mean concentrations between provinces were compared using t-tests; 2 Values were adjusted for inflammation using correction factors proposed by Thurnham et al. [24,25]; 3 Values were adjusted for inflammation using study-generated correction factors.