TABLE 1.
Characteristics of pregnant women in rural Bangladesh at baseline assessment1
| Characteristic | IFA (n = 777) | MM (n = 749) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at pregnancy,2 y | <20 | 235 (30.2) | 254 (33.9) |
| 20–30 | 456 (58.7) | 391 (52.2) | |
| ≥30 | 86 (11.1) | 104 (13.9) | |
| Height,2 cm | <150 | 408 (52.5) | 436 (58.3) |
| BMI, kg/m2 | <18.5 | 308 (39.6) | 324 (43.3) |
| Parity | 0 | 303 (39) | 295 (39.4) |
| 1 | 432 (55.6) | 424 (56.6) | |
| ≥2 | 42 (5.4) | 30 (4.0) | |
| Education completed,2 y | 0 | 190 (24.5) | 193 (25.8) |
| 1–4 | 98 (12.6) | 103 (13.8) | |
| 5–9 | 403 (51.9) | 401 (53.5) | |
| ≥10 | 86 (11.1) | 52 (6.9) | |
| LSI, median | Below | 377 (48.5) | 378 (50.5) |
| Diet, consumed ≥3 times in last wk | Meat | 118 (15.2) | 113 (15.1) |
| Fish | 513 (66.0) | 486 (64.9) | |
| Eggs | 146 (18.8) | 130 (17.4) | |
| Milk | 211 (27.2) | 181 (24.2) | |
| Yellow vegetables | 149 (19.2) | 138 (18.4) | |
| Green vegetables | 174 (22.4) | 164 (21.9) | |
| Morbidity, symptom present ≥1 d in last wk | Nausea | 361 (46.5) | 373 (49.8) |
| Vomiting | 182 (23.4) | 204 (27.2) | |
| Low fever | 261 (33.6) | 228 (30.4) | |
| Cough | 132 (17.0) | 212 (16.2) | |
| Gestational age at blood draw, wk | 0 to <8 | 166 (21.5) | 173 (23.2) |
| 8–12 | 399 (51.6) | 404 (54.2) | |
| ≥13 | 208 (26.9) | 169 (22.7) | |
| Season of blood draw3 | Hot–dry | 233 (30.0) | 238 (31.8) |
| Monsoon | 339 (42.6) | 304 (40.6) | |
| Winter | 205 (26.4) | 207 (27.6) |
1Values are n (%). IFA, iron–folic acid; LSI, living standards index; MM, multiple micronutrient.
2Significantly different, P < 0.05 by chi-square test.
3Hot–dry, February 16–June 15; monsoon, June 16–October 15; winter, October 16–February 15.