TABLE 2.
B-Pb concentrations of ALSPAC participants by indicators of socioeconomic status and lifestyle1
| Observations included in sample, n (%) | n (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | B-Pb <5 µg/dL | B-Pb ≥5 µg/dL | OR (95% CI) | P value | |
| Total n2 | 2167 | 1861 | 306 | — | |
| Maternal age at pregnancy, y | <0.001 | ||||
| ≤19 | 53 (2.5) | 42 (2.3) | 11 (3.6) | 1.00 | |
| 20–<25 | 313 (14.4) | 284 (15.3) | 29 (9.5) | 0.66 (0.38, 1.15) | |
| 25–<30 | 850 (39.2) | 739 (39.7) | 111 (36.3) | 0.89 (0.53, 1.48) | |
| 30–<35 | 709 (32.7) | 608 (32.7) | 101 (33.0) | 1.03 (0.61, 1.72) | |
| ≥35 | 242 (11.8) | 188 (10.1) | 54 (17.7) | 1.62 (0.94, 2.78) | |
| Maternal education (at pregnancy) | <0.001 | ||||
| None/CSE | 478 (24.9) | 478 (25.7) | 62 (20.3) | 1.00 | |
| Vocational/O-level | 1098 (58.2) | 1098 (59.0) | 164 (53.6) | 1.15 (0.84, 1.57) | |
| A-level and above | 285 (16.8) | 285 (15.3) | 80 (26.1) | 2.16 (1.51, 3.11) | |
| Townsend score (at pregnancy)3 | <0.001 | ||||
| 1 | 658 (30.4) | 606 (32.6) | 52 (17.0) | 1.00 | |
| 2 | 340 (15.7) | 296 (15.9) | 44 (14.4) | 1.73 (1.13, 2.65) | |
| 3 | 577 (26.6) | 549 (24.7) | 118 (38.5) | 3.00 (2.12, 4.24) | |
| 4 | 592 (27.3) | 500 (26.9) | 92 (30.1) | 2.14 (1.50, 3.07) | |
| Smoking status (first trimester) | <0.001 | ||||
| No | 1685 (77.8) | 1479 (79.5) | 206 (67.3) | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 482 (22.2) | 382 (20.5) | 100 (32.7) | 1.88 (1.44, 2.45) | |
| Alcohol consumption (first trimester) | 0.057 | ||||
| No | 958 (44.2) | 838 (45.0) | 120 (39.2) | 1.00 | |
| Yes | 1209 (55.8) | 1023 (55.0) | 186 (60.8) | 1.27 (0.99, 1.63) | |
| BMI (prepregnancy)4 | 0.813 | ||||
| Normal/underweight | 1709 (78.9) | 1465 (78.8) | 244 (79.7) | 1.00 | |
| Overweight | 343 (15.8) | 295 (15.9) | 48 (15.7) | 0.98 (0.70, 1.36) | |
| Obese | 115 (5.3) | 101 (5.4) | 14 (4.6) | 0.83 (0.47, 1.48) | |
| Vegetarian diet2 | 0.004 | ||||
| Never | 1810 (85.3) | 1572 (86.4) | 238 (78.8) | 1.00 | |
| In the past | 180 (8.5) | 144 (7.9) | 36 (11.9) | 1.65 (1.12, 2.44) | |
| Present | 131 (6.2) | 103 (5.7) | 28 (9.3) | 1.80 (1.57, 2.79) | |
1
ALSPAC, Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children; B-Pb, blood lead concentration; CSE, Certificate of Secondary Education.
2
Total n for vegetarian diet = 2121 observations; B-Pb <5 µg/dL, n = 1819; B-Pb ≥5 µg/dL, n = 302.
3
The Townsend score is a measure of deprivation: 1 = least deprived; 4 = most deprived (37).
4
BMI: normal/underweight ≤24.9 kg/m2; overweight 25.0–29.9 kg/m2; obese ≥30.0 kg/m2.