Table 1:
Basic socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of Tanzanian pregnant women at initiation of antenatal care, n=2,1001
| Characteristics | Iron replete, received iron, N=750 | Iron replete, received placebo, N=750 | Iron deficient, received iron, N=600 | Total, N=2100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 23.7 ±4.1 | 24.1 ±4.2 | 24.2 ±4.0 | 24.0 ±4.1 |
| 18 – 20 y, % | 24% | 21% | 20% | 22% |
| >20 – 25 y, % | 46% | 47% | 47% | 47% |
| >25 y, % | 30% | 32% | 33% | 32% |
| Gestational age at enrolment, weeks | 17.9 ±4.3 | 17.8 ±4.4 | 20.1 ±3.8 | 18.5 ±4.3 |
| 4 – 13 weeks, % | 16% | 18% | 6% | 14% |
| >13 – 20 weeks, % | 55% | 53% | 46% | 51% |
| >20 – 27 weeks, % | 29% | 30% | 49% | 35% |
| Gravidity, n (%) | ||||
| Primigravida | 61% | 55% | 53% | 57% |
| Secundigravida | 39% | 45% | 47% | 43% |
| Body mass index (BMI), kg/m2 | 24.5 ±4.4 | 25.4 ±4.7 | 24.2 ±3.9 | 24.4 ±4.4 |
| <18.5 kg/m2, % | 4% | 5% | 3% | 4% |
| 18.5 to <25 kg/m2, % | 58% | 55% | 62% | 58% |
| 25 to <30 kg/m2, % | 26% | 29% | 26% | 27% |
| ≥30 kg/m2, % | 12% | 11% | 9% | 11% |
| Education, y, n (%) | ||||
| 0 – 7 y | 58% | 56% | 56% | 57% |
| >7 – 11 y | 29% | 28% | 27% | 28% |
| >11 y | 13% | 16% | 17% | 15% |
| Marital status, n (%) | ||||
| Married or cohabiting | 80% | 81% | 81% | 80% |
| Never married, widowed, or divorced | 20% | 19% | 19% | 20% |
| Occupation, n (%) | ||||
| Unemployed | 50% | 48% | 48% | 49% |
| Informal – skilled/unskilled | 31% | 32% | 33% | 32 |
| Skilled formal | 6% | 8% | 9% | 7% |
| Business/professional | 13% | 12% | 10% | 12% |
| Meat consumption, grams per week, n (%) | ||||
| ≥ 75g | 71% | 72% | 81% | 74% |
| < 75g | 29% | 28% | 19% | 26% |
| Number of household assets, n (%)2 | ||||
| 0 – 1 | 14% | 13% | 15% | 14% |
| 2 – 3 | 37% | 36% | 35% | 36% |
| 4 – 5 | 49% | 51% | 50% | 50% |
| Hemoglobinopathy, n (%)3 | ||||
| Not suggestive | 85% | 82% | 85% | 84% |
| Suggestive of Thalassemia | 15% | 18% | 15% | 16% |
| Duration of use of iron supplements, days | ||||
| <90 | 56% | 56% | 47% | 53% |
| ≥90 | 44% | 44% | 54% | 47% |
| Study site, n (%) | ||||
| AmtullabaiKarimjee | 63% | 64% | 55% | 61% |
| Magomeni | 11% | 11% | 0% | 8% |
| Sinza | 26% | 25% | 45% | 31% |
| Season of enrolment | ||||
| Dry (Nov – Mar) | 33% | 31% | 46% | 36% |
| Long rains (Apr – May) | 20% | 20% | 17% | 19% |
| Harvest (Jun – Sep) | 30% | 31% | 20% | 28% |
| Short rain (Oct – Nov) | 17% | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| Multiple gestation, n (%) | ||||
| Singleton pregnancy | 98% | 98% | 99% | 99% |
| Twin gestation | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
1
Values in the table are means (±SD) and n (%). Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
2
Number of household assets was computed from a simple list of assets owned by participant –car, generator, bike, sofa, television, radio, refrigerator, fan, electricity and potable water.
3
Hemoglobin electrophoresis was conducted in a randomly selected subsample of the iron-replete (n=484) and iron deficient (n=311) participants