Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of Chinese-born and Australian-born mothers living in Australia
| Chinese-born n = 602 | Australian-born n = 602 | |
|---|---|---|
| Mothers | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) |
| BMI of mother at start of pregnancy*** | 21.45 (4.07) | 24.9 (5.18) |
| BMI at survey completion*** | 23.16 (5.24) | 26.00 (5.47) |
| Proportion (%) | Proportion (%) | |
| Age (years)*** | ||
| 15–24 years | 2.7 | 12.0 |
| 25–29 years | 27.2 | 24.6 |
| 30–34 years | 40.2 | 35.6 |
| 35+ years | 29.9 | 27.8 |
| Socioeconomic disadvantage (quintiles) *** | ||
| 1st quintile (greatest disadvantage) | 13.3 | 13.8 |
| 2nd quintile | 7.7 | 15.9 |
| 3rd quintile | 26.7 | 23.3 |
| 4th quintile | 20.9 | 21.1 |
| 5th quintile (least disadvantage) | 31.4 | 26.0 |
| Main language (English) *** | 15.0 | 100.0 |
| Spouse usually living in house (yes) | 94.3 | 92.2 |
| Spouse at time of birth (yes) * | 96.0 | 93.3 |
| Highest school year completed*** | ||
| Year 12 or equivalent | 94.4 | 76.9 |
| Year 11 or equivalent | 1.8 | 10.1 |
| Year 10 or equivalent | 3.3 | 13.0 |
| Did not go to school | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Educational qualification (yes) *** | 89.9 | 80.7 |
| Highest qualification*** | ||
| Postgraduate | 43.5 | 13.0 |
| Bachelor degree | 35.3 | 39.9 |
| Diploma | 14.4 | 13.4 |
| Certificate | 6.8 | 33.7 |
| Income*** | ||
| >$156,000 | 3.7 | 10.3 |
| $88,400–$155,999 | 21.8 | 34.4 |
| $52,000–$88,399 | 21.9 | 28.8 |
| $26,000–$51,900 | 27.8 | 15.6 |
| <$25,999 | 24.8 | 11.0 |
| Parity*** | ||
| One | 62.6 | 43.3 |
| Two | 31.5 | 35.2 |
| Three | 5.0 | 14.5 |
| Four or more | 0.9 | 7.0 |
| Currently smoking (yes) *** | ||
| Daily | 0.4 | 9.0 |
| At least weekly | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Less often | 0.1 | 2.1 |
| Smoked whilst pregnant (yes) *** | ||
| Daily | 0.2 | 6.7 |
| At least weekly | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| Less often | 0.0 | 1.4 |
*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001