Table 1.
Maternal and infantcharacteristics
| Variable | Mbekweni | TC Newman | Total – n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| – n (%) | – n (%) | ||
| Maternal characteristics | |||
| Number of mothers | 585 (55) | 486 (45) | 1,071 |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Black–African | 578 (99) | 6 (1) | 584 (55) |
| Mixed race | 7 (1) | 480 (99) | 487 (45) |
| Median age at enrolment [IQR] | 26.8 [22.3, 31.6] | 24.7 [21.3, 29.2] | 25.8 [22.0, 30.7] |
| Average household income | |||
| < R1000/month | 254 (43) | 164 (34) | 418 (39) |
| R1000–R5000/month | 270 (46) | 235 (48) | 505 (47) |
| > R5000/month | 61 (10) | 87 (18) | 148 (14) |
| SES quartile | |||
| Lowest SES | 186 (32) | 85 (17) | 271 (25) |
| Low‐moderate SES | 145 (25) | 128 (26) | 273 (25) |
| Moderate‐high SES | 158 (27) | 135 (28) | 293 (27) |
| Highest SES | 96 (16) | 138 (28) | 234 (22) |
| HIV‐infected | 216 (37) | 15 (3) | 231 (22) |
| Median height, cm [IQR] (n = 1,057) | 160 [156, 164] | 158 [153, 162] | 159 [155, 163] |
| Infant birth characteristics and feeding | |||
| Number of infants | 590 (55) | 486 (45) | 1,076 |
| Female | 293 (50) | 222 (46) | 515 (48) |
| Median gestation at delivery [IQR] | 39 [38, 40] | 39 [37, 40] | 39 [37, 40] |
| Pre‐term birth (<37 weeks) | 102 (17) | 80 (16) | 182 (17) |
| Low birth weight (<2500 g) | 76 (13) | 96 (20) | 172 (16) |
| Small for gestational age | 137 (23) | 135 (28) | 272 (25) |
| Breastfeeding initiated (n = 902) | 370 (77) | 403 (96) | 773 (86) |
| EBF for at least 6 months (n = 710) | 50 (15) | 45 (12) | 95 (13) |
| Continued breastfeeding at 9 months (n = 488) | 99 (51) | 193 (66) | 292 (60) |
| Continued breastfeeding at 12 months (n = 392) | 71 (48) | 157 (65) | 228 (58) |
| Complementary feeding | |||
| 6–10 weeks (n = 793) | 34 (8) | 33 (9) | 67 (8) |
| 14 weeks (n = 718) | 70 (20) | 69 (19) | 139 (19) |
| 6 months (n = 696) | 221 (64) | 290 (82) | 511 (73) |
EBF = exclusive breastfeeding; IQR = interquartile range; SES = socioeconomic status.