Skip to main content
. 2019 Dec 7;11(12):2999. doi: 10.3390/nu11122999

Table 2.

General characteristics and iron status parameters of pregnant women and child’s characteristics from the INMA cohort study, Spain 2003–2008.

General Characteristics Serum Ferritin Levels (μg/L)
1st Period of Pregnancy
Total Iron Intake (mg/day)
2nd Period of Pregnancy
<12.0 12.0–60.0 >60 p <14.5 14.5–30.0 >30.0 p
Maternal age, years Mean (SD) 1 30.8 (4.4) 30.3 (4.4) 30.3 (4.1) 0.287 30.3 (4.1) 30.4 (4.2) 30.4 (4.5) 0.803
Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, kg/m2, Mean (SD) 1 23.0 (3.7) 23.5 (4.4) 24.0 (4.1) 0.23 23.8 (4.4) 23.3 (4.1) 23.5 (4.3) 0.081
Mode of delivery, Eutocic vs. Dystocic, n (%) 2 170 (70.2) 807 (63.1) 128 (55.2) 0.003 400 (64.6) 376 (61.3) 376 (60.6) 0.305
Ethnic group, Caucasian vs. other, n (%) 2 252 (96.9) 1307 (96.4) 238 (98.4) 0.403 616 (96.7) 618 (96.4) 609 (95.3) 0.932
Maternal educational level, n (%) 2
Primary or no education 63 (24.2) 347 (25.6) 75 (29.9) 0.349 140 (21.9) 167 (26.1) 179 (28.1) 0.008
Secondary 102 (39.2) 561 (41.4) 90 (35.9) 262 (40.9) 247 (38.7) 275 (43.1)
University 95 (36.5) 446 (32.9) 86 (34.3) 238 (37.2) 225 (35.2) 184 (28.8)
Maternal Social Class, n (%) 2
High 56(21.5) 283 (20.8) 59 (23.5) 0.909 148 (23.1) 139 (21.7) 126 (19.7) 0.025
Medium 74 (28.4) 377 (27.7) 68 (27.1) 197 (30.8) 167 (26.1) 162 (25.3)
Low 131 (50.2) 699 (51.1) 124 (49.4) 295 (46.1) 335 (52.3) 352 (55.0)
Mediterranean diet, score, Mean (SD) 1
1st period * 7.1 (2.4) 7.0 (2.4) 6.9 (2.4) 0.248 7.1 (2.4) 7.0 (2.4) 6.9 (2.4) 0.248
Smoking, yes vs. no, n (%) 2
1st period * 29 (11.6) 244 (18.8) 52 (21.9) 0.007 121 (19.0) 112 (17.5) 120 (18.8) 0.757
2nd period * 26 (10.4) 224 (17.2) 49 (20.7) 0.007 107 (16.8) 106 (16.6) 113 (17.7) 0.854
Alcohol intake, g/day, Mean (SD) 3
1st period * 0.2 (0.7) 0.3 (1.1) 0.5 (1.6) 0.022 0.3 (1.1) 0.3 (1.2) 0.4 (1.3) 0.532
2nd period * 0.3 (0.8) 0.3 (1.2) 0.4 (1.2) 0.372 0.3 (1.2) 0.4 (1.1) 0.4 (1.2) 0.812
Iron Characteristics and other Parameters
Hemoglobin, g/L, Mean (SD) 1
1st period * 128.5 (9.0) 128.9 (9.1) 129.1 (9.0) 0.760 128.2 (9.2) 129.2 (8.2) 129.2 (8.3) 0.085
2nd period * 11.8 (1.2) 11.8 (1.1) 11.8 (1.1) 0.968 11.7 (1.1) 11.9 (1.1) 11.9 (1.1) 0.022
Anemia, n (%) 2
1st period * 4 (1.7) 37 (3.1) 4 (1.8) 0.362 26 (4.6) 10 (1.7) 8 (1.4) 0.001
2nd period * 69 (30.0) 348 (28.0) 66 (28.8) 0.824 183
(31.3)
153 (25.7) 163
(26.8)
0.078
Iron deficiency (ID), n (%)2
1st period * 261 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) <0.001 90 (14.7) 76 (12.7) 82 (14.2) 0.590
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA), n (%) 2
1st period * 4 (1.7) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) <0.001 3 (0.5) 0 (0.0) 1 (0.2) 0.214
Iron supplementation, n (%) 2
2nd period * 124 (48.1) 694 (53.0) 129 (53.3) 0.329 63 (10.4) 347 (56.5) 637 (99.7) <0.001
CRP, mg/L Mean (SD) 3
1st period * 0.6 (0.7) 0.6 (0.7) 0.9 (1.6) 0.003 0.6 (0.7) 0.6 (0.7) 0.6 (0.7) 0.375
PCBs, n (%) 2
<110.9 vs. >110.9 ng/g lipid
1st period * 54.9 (139) 50.2 (646) 49.3 (113) 0.351 53.3 (327) 48.4 (288) 45.6 (264) 0.027
DDE, n (%)2
<123.0 vs. >123.0 ng/g lipid
1st period* 54.2 (137) 51.6 (663) 54,4 (104) 0.135 53.3 (327) 53.4 (318) 43.5 (252) 0.001
Child’s Characteristics
Gender of the child, Male, n (%) 2 124 (49.8) 671 (51.2) 123 (51.7) 0.901 327 (51.7) 314 (49.6) 329 (51.9) 0.669
Standard birth weight, grams, Mean (SD) 1 3376.7 (406.4) 3327.4 (399.8) 3327.9 (393.6) 0.203 3331.6 (381.4) 3342.2 (414.7) 3335.3 (408.0) 0.894
Standard birth height, cm, Mean (SD) 1 49.9 (1.7) 49.8 (1.7) 49.8 (1.9) 0.688 49.7 (1.8) 49.8 (1.8) 50.1 (1.8) <0.001
Standard birth head circumference, cm, Mean (SD) 1 34.51 (1.2) 34.43 (1.3) 34.44 (1.8) 0.744 34.44 (1.2) 34.52 (1.2) 34.35 (1.2) 0.065
Breastfeeding, months, Mean (SD)1 28.1 (20.1) 25.6 (20.0) 27.2 (20.0) 0.152 26.2 (20.1) 26.7 (20.3) 24.9 (20.0) 0.278
Age at neuropsychological examination, years, Mean (SD)2 7.3 (0.6) 7.4 (0.5) 7.4 (0.5) 0.334 7.3 (0.6) 7.4 (0.5) 7.5 (0.4) 0.001

1 ANOVA for continuous parametric variables; 2 Chi-squared test; 3 Kruskal-Wallis test for non-parametric variables; * 1st period: First period of pregnancy; 2nd period: Second period of pregnancy; Standard: Standard at gestational week 40; INMA, Infancia y Medio Ambiente; n varies across assessments; INMA, Infancia y Medio Ambiente.