Table 1. Maternal and infant characteristics according to maternal metabolic syndrome, at 15 weeks’ gestation.
| Characteristic | Metabolic syndrome | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No (n = 4,846) |
Yes (n = 684) |
||
| Age, years | 28.6 ± 5.4 | 28.8 ± 5.9 | 0.5453 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 24.7 ± 4.5 | 29.5 ± 5.7 | 0.0000 |
| Socioeconomic index | 42.1 ± 16.6 | 39.4 ± 15.7 | 0.0001 |
| Ethnicity | |||
| White | 4,361 (90.0%) | 618 (90.4%) | Ref |
| Other | 485 (10.0%) | 66 (9.7%) | 0.8217 |
| Study centre (country) | |||
| Adelaide (Australia) | 952 (19.6%) | 201 (29.4%) | Ref |
| Cork (Ireland) | 1,572 (32.4%) | 192 (28.1%) | 0.0000 |
| Auckland (New Zealand) | 1,740 (35.9%) | 237 (34.6%) | 0.0001 |
| Leeds (UK) | 132 (2.7%) | 12 (1.8%) | 0.0391 |
| London (UK) | 173 (3.6%) | 6 (0.9%) | 0.0000 |
| Manchester (UK) | 277 (5.7%) | 36 (5.3%) | 0.0732 |
| Physical activity | |||
| None | 766 (15.9%) | 116 (17.0%) | Ref |
| Light | 317 (6.6%) | 40 (5.9%) | 0.8004 |
| Moderate or vigorous | 3,741 (77.5%) | 526 (77.1%) | 1.0000 |
| Smoked at 15 weeks’ gestation | 495 (10.2%) | 101 (14.8%) | 0.0004 |
| Depression category | |||
| Unlikely to be depressed | 1,784 (37.0%) | 252 (36.9%) | Ref |
| Increased risk of depression | 1,783 (37.0%) | 234 (34.3%) | 0.9531 |
| Likely to be depressed | 1,257 (26.0%) | 197 (28.8%) | 0.6662 |
| Fetal sex | |||
| Male | 2,468 (51.1%) | 338 (49.6%) | Ref |
| Female | 2,364 (48.9%) | 343 (50.4%) | 0.5064 |
| Gestational age at birth, weeks | 39.6 ± 2.5 | 39.3 ± 2.8 | 0.0027 |
| Birth weight, g | 3,402.0 ± 576.5 | 3,405.1 ± 673.5 | 0.3839 |
| Birth weight centile | 47.8 ± 28.9 | 46.5 ± 30.5 | 0.2156 |
| Birth length, cm | 50.3 ± 3.1 | 50.1 ± 3.4 | 0.4818 |
| Head circumference, cm | 34.6 ± 1.9 | 34.7 ± 2.2 | 0.0986 |
| Delivered post-term | |||
| No (≤41 weeks) | 3,804 (78.5%) | 546 (79.8%) | Ref |
| Yes (>41 weeks) | 1,042 (21.5%) | 138 (20.2%) | 0.4575 |
| Ponderal index | |||
| Male | 2.67 ± 0.41 | 2.67 ± 0.29 | 0.7445 |
| Female | 2.70 ± 0.34 | 2.71 ± 0.30 | 0.5101 |
Categorical variables are presented as number (percentage), and continuous variables as mean ± standard deviation. All variables (except fetal sex and birth outcomes) were collected at 15 ± 1 weeks’ gestation. P value is compared to reference group. The socioeconomic index is a measure of the individual’s socioeconomic status and is derived from the specific occupation of the woman, producing a score between 10 and 90 [30]. Depression status was evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Customised birth weight centiles were calculated correcting for gestational age at birth, maternal ethnicity, maternal weight and height in early pregnancy, parity, and infant sex [37].