Table 1. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study participants.
| Ethnicity | Sex | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese, n=158 | Malay, n=94 | Indian, n=64 | P value | Boys, n=150 | Girls, n=166 | P value | |
| Maternal data | |||||||
| Prepregnancy BMI (kg/m2) | 21.7 ± 3.1 | 25.2 ± 5.5 | 23.3 ± 4.6 | <0.001 | 23.0 ± 4.3 | 23.6 ± 4.8 | 0.230 |
| Antenatal fasting glucose at 26 weeks (mmol/L) | 4.3 ± 0.4 | 4.2 ± 0.5 | 4.5 ± 0.5 | <0.001 | 4.3 ± 0.4 | 4.3 ± 0.5 | 0.849 |
| Gestational weight gain per week, (g/week) | 468.0 ± 117.7 | 462.6 ± 149.3 | 434.7 ± 121.8 | 0.223 | 446.5 ± 114.3 | 471.8 ± 140.3 | 0.086 |
| Gestational age at delivery (weeks) | 38.8 ± 1.4 | 38.1 ± 1.9 | 38.7 ± 1.8 | 0.021 | 38.4 ± 1.7 | 38.7 ± 1.9 | 0.136 |
| Maternal education, n | <0.001 | 0.524 | |||||
| < 12 years | 61 | 70 | 22 | 71 | 82 | ||
| ≥ 12 years | 95 | 24 | 40 | 76 | 83 | ||
| Weight (kg) | |||||||
| Birth | 3.1 ± 0.4 | 3.0 ± 0.5 | 3.0 ± 0.6 | 0.543 | 3.1 ± 0.4 | 3.0 ± 0.5 | 0.181 |
| 1 year | 9.2 ± 1.1 | 9.3 ± 1.2 | 9.4 ±1.1 | 0.623 | 9.6 ± 1.1 | 9.0 ± 1.1 | <0.001 |
| 2 year | 11.8 ± 1.5 | 11.9 ± 1.6 | 12.1 ± 1.9 | 0.676 | 12.2 ± 1.6 | 11.6 ± 1.6 | 0.002 |
| 3 year | 14.0 ± 2.0 | 14.4 ± 2.1 | 14.6 ± 2.7 | 0.157 | 14.4 ± 2.2 | 14.0 ± 2.2 | 0.118 |
| 4 year | 16.0 ± 2.2 | 16.5 ± 2.9 | 17.1 ± 3.9 | 0.051 | 16.5 ± 2.6 | 16.3 ± 3.1 | 0.662 |
| 4.5 years | 17.3 ± 2.6 | 17.5 ± 3.0 | 18.3 ± 4.1 | 0.108 | 17.7 ± 3.1 | 17.4 ± 3.1 | 0.366 |
| Height at 4.5 years (cm) | 105.4 ± 4.2 | 104.3 ± 3.6 | 107.7 ± 4.5 | <0.001 | 105.6 ± 4.4 | 105.4 ± 4.2 | 0.649 |
| BMI at 4.5 years (kg/m2) | 15.5 ± 1.6 | 16.0 ± 1.9 | 15.6 ± 2.5 | 0.114 | 15.8 ± 1.9 | 15.6 ± 1.9 | 0.322 |
| Abdominal circumference at 4.5 years (cm) | 51.4 ± 4.0 | 52.1 ± 5.2 | 52.7 ± 6.7 | 0.219 | 51.8 ± 4.9 | 51.9 ± 5.1 | 0.954 |
| Sum of skinfold thicknesses at 4.5 years (mm) | 30.0 ± 9.1 | 32.5 ± 12.3 | 33.0 ± 16.0 | 0.110 | 28.2 ± 9.9 | 34.2 ± 12.6 | <0.001 |
| Abdominal fat at 4.5 years (ml) | |||||||
| Total SAT | 504.5 ± 258.9 | 588.3 ± 443.1 | 668.6 ± 538.5 | 0.013 | 494.9 ± 346.6 | 623.9 ± 420.4 | 0.003 |
| DSAT | 128.6 ± 105.3 | 171.3 ± 191.6 | 205.9 ± 222.7 | 0.004 | 129.2 ± 142.8 | 182.0 ± 179.6 | 0.004 |
| SSAT | 375.9 ± 158.3 | 417.0 ± 254.3 | 462.7 ± 317.8 | 0.033 | 365.8 ± 205.7 | 441.8 ± 245.1 | 0.003 |
| VAT | 195.6 ± 61.3 | 186.5 ± 70.2 | 184.1 ± 114.5 | 0.501 | 195.4 ± 72.1 | 186.2 ± 81.7 | 0.295 |
Statistically significant (p<0.05) p values are highlighted in bold.
SAT, subcutaneous adipose tissue; DSAT, deep subcutaneous adipose tissue; SSAT, superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue; VAT, visceral adipose tissue.