Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the mothers and infants
| INTERVENTION | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Formula milk (high dose of Fe) n = 105 | Formula milk (low dose of Fe) n = 28 | p | |
| Mother | |||
| Mother age, years | 31.5 (4.5) | 32.9 (3.9) | 0.1334 |
| Socioeconomic level, % | |||
| Low | 10.5 | 3.6 | 0.403 |
| Medium | 53.3 | 50 | |
| High | 36.2 | 46.4 | |
| Smokers, % | 21 | 10.7 | 0.179 |
| Mode of delivery, % | |||
| Eutocic | 65.1 | 54.5 | 0.222 |
| Forceps | 16.3 | 9 | |
| Caesarean | 18.6 | 36.4 | |
| Primiparous, % | 52.1 | 64.3 | 0.268 |
| Gestational age, weeks | 39.6 (1.1) | 39.4 (1.3) | 0.538 |
| STAI_State | 14.4 (8.8) | 11.4 (6.1) | 0.056 |
| STAI_Trait | 18.1 (9.1) | 13.9 (6.1) | 0.028 |
| Newborn | |||
| Weight, g | 3384.5 (408.0) | 3237.7 (376.3) | 0.088 |
| Length, cm | 49.9 (2.1) | 48.7 (2.0) | 0.009 |
| Head circumference, cm | 34.5 (1.5) | 34.4 (1.7) | 0.782 |
| Body Mass Index, kg/m2 | 13.6 (1.1) | 13.8 (1.3) | 0.573 |
| Serum ferritin, μg/L# | 244.7 (1.8) | 200.3 (0.5) | 0.375 |
| Presence of HFE alteration, % | 33.3 | 28.6 | 0.764 |
| Apgar 1–10 | 9.4 (0.4) | 9.5 (0.2) | 0.645 |
| Children at 6 months | |||
| Breastfeeding or mixed lactation, % | 34.0 | 42.3 | 0.537 |
| Time of breastfeeding, months | 2.5 (2.8) | 2.9 (3.0) | 0.554 |
| Total Parental Stress Index | 110.42 (24.3) | 111.10 (19.0) | 0.892 |
Data were expressed in Mean (SD) or in %
STAI State–Trait Anxiety Inventory
#Geometric mean