Table 1.
Baseline/antenatala characteristics of the participating women at enrolment, by study group
| Characteristic | LNS | MMN | IFA |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of participants | 462 | 466 | 463 |
| Maternal age (years) (Mean (SD)) | 25 (6) | 25 (6) | 25 (6) |
| Maternal education (completed years) (Mean (SD)) | 4.0 (3.5) | 4.1 (3.4) | 3.9 (3.4) |
| Household asset score (Mean (SD)) | 0.04 (1.85) | 0.02 (1.78) | −0.03 (1.78) |
| Proportion with severely food insecure households% | 36 | 38 | 35 |
| Gestational age at enrollment (weeks) (Mean (SD)) | 16.9 (2.2) | 16.8 (2.1) | 16.8 (2.1) |
| Number of previous pregnancies (Mean (SD)) | 2.2 (1.7) | 2.1 (1.8) | 2.1 (1.8) |
| Proportion of nulliparous women, % | 22 | 23 | 20 |
| Height, cm (Mean (SD)) | 156.2 (5.7) | 156.0 (5.6) | 156.1 (5.7) |
| Weight, kg (Mean (SD)) | 54.3 (8.4) | 54.0 (8.1) | 53.9 (7.4) |
| MUAC, cm (Mean (SD)) | 26.5 (2.7) | 26.3 (2.8) | 26.4 (2.4) |
| BMI, kg/m2 (Mean (SD)) | 22.3 (3.0) | 22.2 (2.9) | 22.1 (2.6) |
| Proportion of women with a BMI <18.5 kg/m2, % | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Blood haemoglobin concentration, g/L (Mean (SD)) | 112 (16) | 111 (16) | 111 (17) |
| Proportion of anaemic women (haemoglobin 100 g/L) % | 21 | 20 | 21 |
| Proportion of women with a positive HIV test, % | 14 | 11 | 16 |
| Proportion of women with positive malaria test (RDT) % | 23 | 24 | 23 |
| Antenatal SRQ score (Mean (SD)) | 3.97 (3.30) | 4.20 (3.27) | 4.04 (3.39) |
| Proportion of women scoring SRQ ≥ 8 antenatally2, % | 16 | 16 | 15 |
| MSPSS score antenatally (Mean (SD)) | 37.6 (8.4) | 37.2 (8.0) | 36.5 (8.9) |
IFA, iron‐folate; MMN, multiple micronutrients; LNS, lipid‐based nutrient supplements; SRQ, Self Reporting Questionnaire; MSPSS, Multi‐dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support.
a
Most variables were collected pre‐intervention; household characteristics were done within 1‐week of enrolment; SRQ scores were included if done within 21 days of enrolment (n = 742).