Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of mothers by breastmilk vitamin B12 status at 6 weeks postpartum in Tanzania
| Characteristic | Descriptive statistics | B12 < 310 pmol/L (N = 345) | B12 >=310 pmol/L (N = 146) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treatment arm | |||
| Placebo | N, column % | 180 (52.2) | 64 (43.8) |
| Multivitamins | N, column % | 165 (47.8) | 82 (56.2) |
| Maternal age in years | Mean, SD | 25.9 (5.1) | 25.5 (5.0) |
| Maternal age (years) | |||
| < 20 | N, column % | 49 (16.3) | 24 (18.3) |
| 20–24 | N, column % | 89 (29.7) | 36 (27.5) |
| 25–29 | N, column % | 85 (28.3) | 40 (30.5) |
| ≥ 30 | N, column % | 75 (25.0) | 29 (22.1) |
| Maternal education (years) | |||
| 0–4 | N, column % | 39 (11.4) | 16 (11.1) |
| 5–7 | N, column % | 219 (63.9) | 91 (63.2) |
| 8–11 | N, column % | 64 (18.7) | 22 (15.3) |
| 12+ | N, column % | 21 (6.1) | 15 (10.4) |
| Maternal BMI at baseline (kg/m2) | Mean, SD | 24.8 (4.1) | 24.5 (4.1) |
| Maternal BMI categories (kg/m2) | |||
| Less than 22.0 | N, column % | 77 (24.3) | 43 (32.3) |
| 22.0–24.9 | N, column % | 109 (34.4) | 38 (28.6) |
| 25.0–29.9 | N, column % | 101 (31.9) | 37 (27.8) |
| 30 or more | N, column % | 30 (9.5) | 15 (11.3) |
| Maternal Hb at 6 weeks (gm/dL) | Mean, SD | 12.0 (1.6) | 12.5 (1.8) |
| Maternal Hb categories at 6 weeks (gm/dL) | |||
| Less than 8.5 | N, column % | 13 (3.8) | 2 (1.4) |
| 8.5–10.9 | N, column % | 58 (16.8) | 20 (13.7) |
| 11.0 or more | N, column % | 269 (78.0) | 121 (82.9) |
| Infant gender | |||
| Female | N, column % | 165 (47.8) | 76 (52.4) |
| Male | N, column % | 180 (52.2) | 69 (47.6) |
| Birth weight (kg) | Mean, SD | 3.2 (0.5) | 3.1 (0.5) |
| Birth weight categories (kg) | |||
| ≤ 2.0 | N, column % | 7 (2.1) | 6 (4.3) |
| 2.001–2.499 | N, column % | 11 (3.3) | 7 (5.0) |
| ≥ 2.5 | N, column % | 320 (94.7) | 127 (90.7) |