Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of COPSAC2010 mother-child pairs who participated in n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) randomised controlled trial. Values are percentages (numbers) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | All (n=688) | n-3 LCPUFA (n=341; 49%) | Control (n=347; 51%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children | |||
| Male sex | 51 (351) | 49 (166) | 53 (185) |
| White ethnicity | 96 (660) | 97 (330) | 95 (330) |
| Season of birth: | |||
| Winter | 31 (210) | 28 (96) | 33 (114) |
| Spring | 27 (184) | 28 (94) | 26 (90) |
| Summer | 21 (147) | 21 (73) | 21 (74) |
| Autumn | 21 (147) | 23 (78) | 20 (69) |
| Mean (SD) exclusive breast feeding, days | 103 (60) | 104 (59) | 103 (60) |
| Mean (SD) difference in Marsál percentage* | 49.6 (28.4) | 51.5 (28.4) | 47.8 (28.3) |
| Born before week 37 | 4 (26) | 4 (12) | 4 (14) |
| Mean (SD) age at 6 years BMI measurement, years | 6.0 (0.2) | 6.0 (0.2) | 6.0 (0.2) |
| Mean (SD) age at 6 years DXA scanning, years | 6.2 (0.2) | 6.2 (0.2) | 6.2 (0.2) |
| Parents | |||
| Mean (SD) maternal age at birth, years | 32.2 (4.5) | 32.3 (4.4) | 32.1 (4.5) |
| Mean (SD) social circumstances† | 0.0 (1.0) | 0.0 (1.0) | 0.0 (1.0) |
| Mean (SD) maternal pre-pregnancy BMI | 24.6 (4.4) | 24.7 (4.2) | 24.4 (4.6) |
| Maternal asthma‡ | 26 (181) | 25 (84) | 28 (97) |
| Mean (SD) paternal height, cm | 181 (6.7) | 181 (6.3) | 181 (7.1) |
| Mean (SD) daily fish intake before inclusion, g | 28 (18) | 28 (17) | 28 (18) |
| Mean (SD) maternal pre-treatment blood concentrations of EPA+DHA§, % | 4.9 (1.2) | 4.9 (1.3) | 4.9 (1.2) |
| Pregnancy | |||
| Primiparity | 46 (314) | 44 (151) | 47 (163) |
| Pre-eclampsia | 4 (30]) | 4 (15) | 4 (15) |
| Smoking in pregnancy | 8 (52) | 6 (20) | 9 (32) |
| Antibiotics in pregnancy | 35 (239) | 35 (119) | 35 (120) |
| Mean (SD) Hadlock calculated in utero weight, g | 322.9 (53.4) | 320.7 (49.2) | 325.2 (57.2) |
| High dose vitamin D intervention | 42 (291) | 41 (141) | 43 (150) |
BMI=body mass index; DHA=docosahexaenoic acid; DXA=dual energy x ray absorptiometry; EPA=eicosapentaenoic acid.
*
Calculation was based on Marsál’s intrauterine growth curves.
†
Social circumstances in household defined as first component of principal component analysis on household income, maternal age, and maternal level of education (see supplementary methods).
‡
History of asthma diagnosed by doctor.
§
Relative percentage of measured blood fatty acids.