Table 1. Sample characteristics.
| Variable | Total (N = 776) | CIV (n = 488) | GHA (n = 288) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age in years | |||
| M (SD; range) | 28.9 (5.5; 18 to 46) | 28.3 (5.8; 18 to 46) | 29.8 (4.8; 18 to 42) |
| Gestational age at birth in weeks | |||
| M (SD; range) | 39.7 (1.5; 35 to 43) | 39.7 (1.6; 35 to 43) | 39.7 (1.3; 36 to 43) |
| Education1 n (%) | |||
| None | 212 (27.4) | 200 (41.0) | 12 (4.2) |
| Basic | 235 (30.3) | 136 (27.9) | 99 (34.5) |
| Secondary | 198 (25.5) | 119 (24.4) | 79 (27.5) |
| Tertiary | 130 (16.8) | 33 (6.8) | 97 (33.8) |
| Religion n (%) | |||
| Christian | 520 (67.0) | 249 (51.0) | 271 (94.1) |
| Muslim | 244 (31.4) | 227 (46.5) | 17 (5.9) |
| None | 5 (0.6) | 5 (1.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| Traditional African2 | 4 (0.5) | 4 (0.8) | 0 (0.0) |
| Other | 3 (0.4) | 3 (0.6) | 0 (0.0) |
| Marital status n (%) | |||
| Currently married | 540 (69.6) | 314 (64.3) | 226 (78.5) |
| Cohabiting | 153 (19.7) | 104 (21.3) | 49 (17.0) |
| Never married | 58 (7.5) | 48 (9.8) | 10 (3.5) |
| Separated | 22 (2.8) | 21 (4.3) | 1 (0.3) |
| Widowed | 2 (0.3) | 1 (0.2) | 1 (0.3) |
| Divorced | 1 (0.1) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.3) |
| Number of pregnancy n (%) | |||
| First | 175 (24.2) | 98 (22.2) | 77 (27.4) |
| Second | 157 (21.7) | 90 (20.3) | 67 (23.8) |
| Third | 144 (19.9) | 96 (21.7) | 48 (17.1) |
| Fourth | 94 (13.0) | 56 (12.6) | 38 (13.5) |
| Fifth or more | 154 (21.2) | 103 (23.2) | 51 (18.2) |
| Previous Caesarian sections n (%) | |||
| No | 646 (88.7) | 429 (94.1) | 217 (79.8) |
| One | 65 (8.9) | 23 (5.0) | 42 (15.4) |
| Two | 15 (2.1) | 4 (0.8) | 11 (0.7) |
| Three | 2 (0.3) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.7) |
Note. CIV = Côte d’Ivoire; GHA = Ghana; M = mean; SD = standard deviation; different n due to missing data.
1 Primary education refers to the attendance of an elementary school where children acquire basic education. Secondary education describes the attendance of middle schools and/or high schools. Tertiary education refers to higher education, for instance training at a university.
2 Traditional African religion is an umbrella term for different spiritual or traditional indigenous religions.