Table 1.
Summary of Variable Definitions.
| Variable Name | Survey Questions, Coding, and Methods of Calculation |
|---|---|
| Maternal smoke | “Were you smoking during pregnancy?” (1 = No, 2= Yes). |
| First level variables (N = 20276) | |
| Birth order | “How many children do you have?” (1 = one, 2= two, 3 = three, 4 = four or more). |
| Mother’s age at birth | “How old were you at the time of your childbirth?” (1 = 19 years old or younger, 2 = 20 to 24 years old, 3 = 25 to 29 years old, 4 = 30 to 34 years old, 5 = 35 to 39 years old, 6 = 40 years old or older). |
| Birth weight | “How much did your child’s weight at birth?” (1 = less than 2500 g, 2 = 2500 to 4000 g, 3 = 4000 g or more). |
| Economic status (subjective) | “How do you feel about your current economic status?” (1 = Very good, 2 = good, 3 = normal, 4 = poor, 5 = very poor). |
| Husband’s smoking habit during pregnancy | “Was your husband smoking during your pregnancy?” (1 = No, 2 = Yes). |
| Drinking habit during pregnancy | “Were you drinking during pregnancy?” (1 = No, 2 = Yes). |
| Existance of counselor | “Are there any counselor during and after your pregnancy?” (1 = No, 2 = Yes). |
| Participation in local events for child-raising | “Have you participate in local events for child-raising?” (1 = No, 2 = Yes). |
| Second level variables (N = 420) | |
| Unemployment rate | (number of unemployed people in the region)/(working population in the region) |
| Birthrate | annual number of birthchildren per 1000 population in the region. |
| Number of nursery | number of nurseries per 1000 children population (under five years-old) in the region. |
| Financial Strength Index(FSI) * | (standard financial revenues in the region)/(amount of basic fiscal demand in the region) |
| Population density | (population of the region)/(extent of inhabitable area in the region (km2)) |
Data source: Healthy Parents and Children 21, 2013; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan (First level) e-stat, 2010; Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan (Second level) * FSI is used as a indicator of municipality’s economic strength in Japan. (more and better).