Table 1:
Maternal and child characteristics by child’s case status (neurotypical vs. ASD) in the Boston Birth Cohort
| Neurotypical (n=792) | ASD (n=55) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | |||
| Mothers | |||
| Age at birth (yrs), mean (SD) | 28.19 (6.56) | 30.35 (6.16) | 0.02 |
| Parity (%) | 0.89 | ||
| 0 | 333 (42.05) | 21 (38.18) | |
| 1 or more | 458 (57.83) | 34 (61.82) | |
| Missing | 1 (0.16) | 0 (0.00) | |
| Mother’s education (%) | 0.85 | ||
| High School or less | 510 (64.39) | 33 (60.00) | |
| Some college or more | 275 (34.72) | 21 (38.18) | |
| Missing | 7 (0.88) | 1 (1.82) | |
| Maternal BMI (%) | 0.21 | ||
| Underweight (<18.5) + Normal Weight (≥18.5-<25) | 385 (48.61) | 20 (36.36) | |
| Overweight (25–29.9) | 245 (30.93) | 19 (34.55) | |
| Obesity (>=30) | 162 (20.45) | 16 (29.09) | |
| Diabetes (%) | 0.04 | ||
| No | 718 (90.66) | 47 (85.45) | |
| Gestational | 50 (6.31) | 2 (3.64) | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 24 (3.03) | 6 (10.91) | |
| Smoking during & 3 months prior to pregnancy (%) | 0.45 | ||
| No | 677 (85.48) | 42 (76.36) | |
| Yes | 109 (13.76) | 12 (21.82) | |
| Missing | 6 (0.76) | 1 (1.82) | |
| Child | |||
| Gender (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Male | 337 (42.55) | 40 (72.73) | |
| Female | 455 (57.45) | 15 (27.27) | |
| Race-ethnicity (%) | 0.83 | ||
| Black | 453 (57.20) | 34 (61.82) | |
| White | 48 (6.06) | 4 (7.27) | |
| Hispanic | 186 (23.48) | 11 (20.00) | |
| Other | 100 (12.63) | 6 (10.91) | |
| Missing | 5 (0.63) | 0 (0.00) | |
| Gestational age (%) | 0.04 | ||
| Term | 601 (75.88) | 34 (61.82) | |
| Late preterm (≥34 - <37 weeks) | 128 (16.16) | 10 (18.18) | |
| Early preterm (<34 weeks) | 63 (7.95) | 11 (20.00) | |
| Birth weight (g) | 3017.85 (713.20) | 2803.73 (886.24) | 0.03 |
| Year of birth (%) | 0.66 | ||
| 1998–2006 | 429 (54.17) | 30 (54.55) | |
| 2007–2013 | 363 (45.83) | 25 (45.45) | |
| Mean cord blood adiponectin (SD)a (μg/mL) | 15.80 (10.84) | 11.37 (88.27) | 0.01 |
| Mean early childhood adiponectin (SD)b (μg/mL) | 10.67 (62.15) | 10.11 (73.59) | 0.61 |
| First year weight gain pattern (%)c | 0.05 | ||
| On target | 182 (33.96) | 9 (18.75) | |
| Slow | 65 (12.13) | 6 (12.50) | |
| Rapid weight gain | 92 (17.16) | 6 (12.50) | |
| Extremely rapid weight gain | 197 (36.75) | 27 (56.25) | |
| Mode of feeding (%) | 0.86 | ||
| Formula | 183 (23.11) | 11 (20.00) | |
| Both | 549 (69.32) | 37 (67.27) | |
| Breastfeeding | 54 (6.82) | 6 (10.91) | |
| Missing | 6 (0.76) | 1 (1.82) |
a
n=674 (Neurotypical n=634; ASD n=40)
b
n=638 (Neurotypical n=602; ASD n=36)
c
n=584 (Neurotypical n=536; ASD n=48)