Table 1. Characteristics of mother-infant pairs by season of birth, VHEMBE study, South Africa, 2012–2013.
| Season of birth | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Harvest (Mar-Jun) | Gardening (Jul-Oct) | Lean/Rainy (Nov-Feb) | p-value | Test | |
| N = 752 | N = 339 | N = 174 | N = 239 | |||
| Sex of child | 0.71 | Pearson’s χ2 | ||||
| Boy | 388 (51.6) | 178 (52.5) | 85 (48.9) | 125 (52.3) | ||
| Girl | 364 (48.4) | 161 (47.5) | 89 (51.1) | 114 (47.7) | ||
| Gestational age (weeks) | 39.27 (2.3) | 39.12 (2.3) | 39.57 (2.1) | 39.26 (2.5) | 0.11 | ANOVA |
| Maternal age | 0.95 | Pearson’s χ2 | ||||
| 18–21 years | 233 (31.0) | 105 (31.0) | 52 (29.9) | 76 (31.8) | ||
| 22–29 years | 316 (42.0) | 140 (41.3) | 73 (42.0) | 103 (43.1) | ||
| ≥ 30 years | 203 (27.0) | 94 (27.7) | 49 (28.2) | 60 (25.1) | ||
| Parity | 0.15 | Pearson’s χ2 | ||||
| First child | 326 (43.4) | 145 (42.8) | 81 (46.6) | 100 (41.8) | ||
| Second child | 201 (26.7) | 94 (27.7) | 34 (19.5) | 73 (30.5) | ||
| ≥ Third child | 225 (29.9) | 100 (29.5) | 59 (33.9) | 66 (27.6) | ||
| Maternal HIV status | 0.08 | Pearson’s χ2 | ||||
| HIV Negative | 645 (86.1) | 288 (85.0) | 157 (91.3) | 200 (84.0) | ||
| HIV Positive | 104 (13.9) | 51 (15.0) | 15 (8.7) | 38 (16.0) | ||
| Maternal height (cm) | 158.2 (6.8) | 157.7 (5.9) | 157.7 (7.3) | 159.2 (7.4) | 0.02 | ANOVA |
| Maternal education | 0.19 | Pearson’s χ2 | ||||
| < Secondary | 412 (54.9) | 187 (55.2) | 92 (52.9) | 133 (55.9) | ||
| Secondary | 229 (30.5) | 94 (27.7) | 55 (31.6) | 80 (33.6) | ||
| Further studies | 110 (14.6) | 58 (17.1) | 27 (15.5) | 25 (10.5) | ||
| Marital status | 0.58 | Pearson’s χ2 | ||||
| Not married | 392 (52.2) | 177 (52.2) | 96 (55.2) | 119 (50.0) | ||
| Married or living as married | 359 (47.8) | 162 (47.8) | 78 (44.8) | 119 (50.0) | ||
| Mother’s pregnancy desire | 0.56 | Pearson’s χ2 | ||||
| Wanted a baby now | 302 (40.2) | 140 (41.3) | 73 (42.0) | 89 (37.4) | ||
| Untimed or unintended | 449 (59.8) | 199 (58.7) | 101 (58.0) | 149 (62.6) | ||
| Father’s support during pregnancy | 0.34 | Pearson’s χ2 | ||||
| Very supportive | 560 (74.6) | 250 (73.7) | 137 (78.7) | 173 (72.7) | ||
| Somewhat supportive or less | 191 (25.4) | 89 (26.3) | 37 (21.3) | 65 (27.3) | ||
| Household monthly income (Rand) | 2000 (1280–3500) | 2070 (1500–3860) | 2000 (1280–3700) | 1825 (1000–3000) | 0.02 | Kruskal-Wallis |
| Distance from home to main road (km) | 1.44 (0.7–2.9) | 1.35 (0.6–2.6) | 1.56 (0.5–3.4) | 1.51 (0.8–2.9) | 0.22 | Kruskal-Wallis |
Data are presented as mean (SD) or median (IQR) for continuous measures, and n (%) for categorical measures. Variables with missing data: distance to a main road (n = 30), maternal height (n = 12), household income (n = 4), maternal HIV status (n = 3), and maternal education, marital status, pregnancy desire and father’s supportiveness (n = 1 for each).