Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the n-3 LCPUFA and Vitamin D randomized controlled trials.
| Category | Variable | Overall (n (%)) | n-3 LCPUFA (n (%)) | Placebo (n (%)) | Vitamin D (n (%)) | Placebo (n (%)) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 693 | 344 | 349 | 294 | 286 | |
| Socioeconomics (maternal) | Age; mean (sd) | 32.29 (4.36) | 32.33 (4.27) | 32.24 (4.46) | 32.50 (4.33) | 32.01 (4.32) |
| Level of education: | ||||||
| Low | 55 (7.9) | 25 (7.3) | 30 (8.6) | 20 (6.8) | 25 (8.7) | |
| Medium | 446 (64.4) | 221 (64.2) | 225 (64.5) | 185 (62.9) | 189 (66.1) | |
| High | 192 (27.7) | 98 (28.5) | 94 (26.9) | 89 (30.3) | 72 (25.2) | |
| Income level: | ||||||
| Low | 67 (9.7) | 33 (9.6) | 34 (9.7) | 27 (9.2) | 27 (9.4) | |
| Medium | 366 (52.9) | 178 (51.9) | 188 (53.9) | 151 (51.4) | 153 (53.5) | |
| High | 259 (37.4) | 132 (38.5) | 127 (36.4) | 116 (39.5) | 106 (37.1) | |
| During pregnancy | Smoking | 54 (7.8) | 21 (6.1) | 33 (9.5) | 20 (6.8) | 26 (9.1) |
| Cat or dog in home | 234 (34.1) | 117 (34.4) | 117 (33.8) | 88 (30.3) | 105 (37.0) | |
| Antibiotic use | 253 (36.6) | 128 (37.3) | 125 (35.8) | 102 (34.8) | 103 (36.0) | |
| Child | Sex (male) | 354 (51.1) | 168 (48.8) | 186 (53.3) | 154 (52.4) | 144 (50.3) |
| Race (caucasian) | 664 (95.8) | 332 (96.5) | 332 (95.1) | 282 (95.9) | 274 (95.8) | |
| Season of birth: | ||||||
| Winter | 212 (30.6) | 98 (28.5) | 114 (32.7) | 107 (36.4) | 102 (35.7) | |
| Spring | 185 (26.7) | 94 (27.3) | 91 (26.1) | 53 (18.0) | 53 (18.5) | |
| Summer | 148 (21.4) | 74 (21.5) | 74 (21.2) | 62 (21.1) | 57 (19.9) | |
| Fall | 148 (21.4) | 78 (22.7) | 70 (20.1) | 72 (24.5) | 74 (25.9) | |
| Duration of breastfeeding | 245 (155) | 249 (159) | 240 (156) | 243 (145) | 247 (165) | |
| Birth | Preterm delivery | 27 (3.9) | 12 (3.5) | 15 (4.3) | 10 (3.4) | 9 (3.1) |
| Nulliparity | 318 (45.9) | 153 (44.5) | 165 (47.3) | 121 (41.2) | 140 (49.0) | |
| Antibiotics to mother | 221 (32.0) | 111 (32.4) | 110 (31.7) | 97 (33.2) | 87 (30.5) | |
| Antibiotics to child | 18 (2.6) | 10 (2.9) | 8 (2.3) | 5 (1.7) | 9 (3.2) | |
| Hospitalized | 77 (11.1) | 39 (11.3) | 38 (10.9) | 27 (9.2) | 27 (9.5) | |
| Delivery mode: | ||||||
| Acute CS | 84 (12.1) | 47 (13.7) | 37 (10.6) | 39 (13.3) | 33 (11.5) | |
| Vaginal | 544 (78.5) | 266 (77.3) | 278 (79.7) | 225 (76.5) | 226 (79.0) | |
| Planned CS | 65 (9.4) | 31 (9.0) | 34 (9.7) | 30 (10.2) | 27 (9.4) |
Percentages or standard deviations in parenthesis. No significant allocation differences were observed (chi-sq or t-test, p < 0.05)