Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population according to measurement moment: preconception (T0), 12 weeks gestation (T1) and 24 weeks gestation (T2).
| Total N = 105 |
T0 N = 67 |
T1 N = 53 |
T2 N = 66 |
p-Value a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gestational age | - | −13 (−25; −1) | 13 (12.3; 14.9) | 25 (24; 26) | <0.001 |
| Age (years) | 31.9 (29.8; 34.3) | 31.7 (29.0; 34.1) | 31.9 (29.7; 33.8) | 32.6 (30.7; 34.7) | 0.840 |
| Educational level (%) | 0.940 | ||||
| Low | 4.7 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 6.1 | |
| Moderate | 34.3 | 32.8 | 26.4 | 31.8 | |
| High | 61.0 | 62.7 | 67.9 | 62.1 | |
| Western ethnicity (%) | 94.3 | 95.5 | 98.1 | 95.5 | 0.697 |
| Smokers (%) | 9.5 | 11.9 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.012 |
| Parity (% ≥1 child) | 92.4 | 91.0 | 96.2 | 94.0 | 0.511 |
| Nausea during pregnancy (%) | - | - | 90.0 | 53.9 | - |
| Vomitting during pregnancy (%) | - | - | 32.0 | 20.0 | - |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.0 (22.6; 28.9) | 24.4 (22.2; 28.4) | 24.7 (22.5; 29.2) | 27.0 (24.6; 31.4) | 0.007 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 88.5 (79.0; 95.5) | 84.8 (78.0; 92.5) | 88.4 (80.8; 96.4) | 98.5 (90.5; 106.0) | <0.001 |
| Hip circumference (cm) | 105.5 (100.0; 113.0) | 105.3 (98.5; 112.0) | 105.9 (99.0; 113.8) | 108.4 (101.4; 116.8) | 0.135 |
| Physical activity (MET min/week) | 1200 (750; 1860) | 1320 (870; 2029) | 853 (671; 1358) | 978 (390; 1459) | 0.0234 |
| Energy intake (kJ) | 8583 (6885; 9623) | 8583 (6713; 9462) | 8465 (7009; 9975) | 9189 (7432; 10541) | 0.133 |
| Carbohydrates (E%) | 46.5 (43.2; 49.7) | 45.4 (42.3; 48.6) | 46.5 (45.2; 50.3) | 48.1 (44.8; 50.3) | 0.030 |
| Fat (E%) | 35.4 (32.4; 37.7) | 36.2 (32.5; 38.8) | 35.2 (32.7; 37.5) | 34.1 (31.8; 38.2) | 0.343 |
| Protein (E%) | 15.1 (13.8; 16.7) | 15.6 (14.3; 16.9) | 14.9 (13.7; 16.6) | 14.5 (13.3; 15.8) | 0.045 |
| Alcohol (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Abstainers | 80.1 | 55.2 | 96.2 | 92.4 | |
| 0–1 standard glass/day | 17.7 | 38.8 | 3.8 | 7.6 | |
| >1 stanard glass/day | 2.2 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| Blood sampling between December and April (%) | 23.1 | 17.9 | 26.4 | 25.8 | 0.448 |
Values are median (25th percentile; 75th percentile) or percentage; a p-values from χ2 for categorical values or ANOVA for continuous variables for differences between T0, T1, and T2.