Table 1.
Participant characteristics at baseline
| Characteristic | Total samplef n = 309 |
State maternity population 2016 n = 61,858a |
National maternity population 2016 n = 310,247a |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | n | % | |
| Gestation (M, SD, Range) | 19.7 (3.7) | (10–27) | – | – | – | – |
| Age (M, SD, Range) | 29.8 (5.0) | (19–43) | – | – | 30.5 | – |
| Less than 20 | 3 | 1.0 | 2110 | 3.4a | 7395 | 2.4 a |
| 20–34 | 250 | 80.9 | 47,559 | 76.8a | 232,034 | 74. a |
| 35 or more | 56 | 18.1 | 12,189 | 19.7a | 70,776 | 22.8 a |
| Parity | ||||||
| Primiparous | 125 | 40.5 | 25,336 | 41.0a | 132,842 | 42.8 a |
| Multiparous | 184 | 59.5 | 36,522 | 59.0a | 176,671 | 56.9 a |
| Marital status | ||||||
| Married/defacto | 290 | 93.9 | 49,686 | 80.3b | – | – |
| Single | 17 | 5.5 | 11,110 | 18.0 b | – | – |
| Separated, divorced, widowed | 2 | 0.6 | 989 | 1.7 b | – | – |
| E ducation | ||||||
| Secondary < year 12 | 34 | 11.0 | – | – | – | – |
| Secondary to year 12 | 64 | 20.7 | – | – | – | – |
| Apprentice / Diploma | 100 | 32.4 | – | – | – | – |
| Tertiary study | 111 | 35.9 | – | – | – | – |
| Employment/study | ||||||
| No paid work or study | 72 | 23.3 | – | – | – | – |
| Paid work | 207 | 67.0 | – | – | – | – |
| Study | 10 | 3.2 | – | – | – | – |
| Both paid work & study | 20 | 6.5 | – | – | – | – |
| Income $ (Weekly combined) | ||||||
| Lowest income (Neg – 999) | 45 | 16.1 | 544,127 | 32.0 c | 2,661,359 | 31.5 c |
| Medium lowest (1000–1499) | 74 | 26.5 | 271,663 | 16.0 c | 1,278,704 | 15.2 c |
| Medium highest (1500–2499) | 113 | 40.5 | 378,689 | 22.2 c | 1,840,443 | 21.8 c |
| Highest income (2500- ≥ 5000) | 47 | 16.8 | 326,440 | 19.2 c | 1,772,945 | 21.0 c |
| Birth country | ||||||
| Australia | 224 | 72.5 | 45,059 | 72.8a | 201,984 | 65.1a |
| Elsewhere | 85 | 27.5 | 16,737 | 27.1 a | 106,572 | 34.4 a |
| Body mass index (M, SD, Range) | 24.2 (6.8) | 17.2–47.0 | ||||
| Underweight < 18.5 | 5 | 1.6 | 3431 | 5.5a | 12,212 | 3.9 a |
| Normal weight 18.5–24.9 | 141 | 45.6 | 31,131 | 50.3a | 152,022 | 49.0 a |
| Overweight 25.0–29.9 | 76 | 24.6 | 14,228 | 23.0a | 76,019 | 24.5 a |
| Obese class 1/2 30.0–39.9 | 55 | 17.8 | 10,166 | 16.4a | 49,593 | 16.0 a |
| Obese class 3 ≥ 40.0 | 7 | 2.3 | 1889 | 3.0a | 8762 | 2.9 a |
| Unplanned pregnancy | 88 | 29.1 | – | – | – | – |
| Stress in the last 12 months | 82 | 26.5 | – | – | – | – |
| Smoking | ||||||
| Smoked during pregnancy | 34 | 11.0 | – | – | – | 9.9 a |
| Previous smoker, < 12 mth ago | 19 | 6.1 | – | – | – | – |
| Previous smoker, > 12 mth ago | 64 | 20.7 | – | – | – | – |
| Pre-pregnancy drug use | 33 | 10.7 | – | – | – | – |
| Past history of: | ||||||
| Diabetes | 2 | 0.6 | – | – | – | 0.7 d |
| Hypertension | 4 | 1.3 | – | – | – | 0.8 a |
| Mental health disorder | 44 | 14.2 | – | – | – | – |
| Caesarean birth | 39 | 12.6 | – | – | – | 41.5 a |
| Current twin pregnancy | 6 | 1.9 | – | – | – | 1.4e |