Table 1.

Background characteristics by study group*

	Misoprostol (800mcg SL) (n = 40)	Placebo (n = 39)
Age, mean ± SD	24.7 ± 4.8	26.0 ± 5.5
Parity, mean ± SD	3.1 ± 1.9	2.9 ± 1.8
Woman categorized as literate	8 (20.0)	8 (20.5)
Iron folate tablets taken during pregnancy	38 (95.0)	38 (100) a
Duration during which iron folate tablets were taken (months), mean + SD	1.9 ± 1.5	2.4 ± 2.3 a
Pre-delivery Hb (g/dL) b
mean ± SD	12.4 ± 1.4	12.1 ± 1.8
(range)	(9.0–15.9)	(7.7–15.8)

Abbreviations: Hb hemoglobin, SL sublingual

* Data presented as n (%) unless otherwise stated

^an = 38; data on iron folate missing for one case in the placebo arm

^b In six cases (misoprostol, n = 1; placebo, n = 5) pre-delivery Hb was not measured due to enrollment in the study at the time of the delivery