Table 1.
Sample characteristics1
| Characteristics | Pregnant adolescent girls (n = 162) |
Pregnant women (n = 438) |
|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 17.5 ± 1.20*** | 26.3 ± 4.62 |
| Education level, % | ||
| Never attended school | 3.09*** | 15.5 |
| Primary school (grade 1–5) | 25.3 | 33.8 |
| Middle school (grade 6–9) | 54.3 | 41.1 |
| High school or higher | 17.3 | 9.59 |
| Occupation, % | ||
| Household work/housewife | 92.0* | 87.0 |
| Self-employment | 6.17 | 9.13 |
| Other | 1.85 | 3.88 |
| Obstetric history | ||
| Age when first got married, y | 16.0 ± 1.41** | 16.4 ± 2.71 |
| Age having first child, y | 17.3 ± 1.26*** | 19.0 ± 3.07 |
| Number of times have been pregnant, y | 1.16 ± 0.40*** | 2.77 ± 1.27 |
| Number of living children,% | ||
| 0 | 91.4*** | 16.4 |
| 1 | 8.64 | 43.2 |
| >2 | 0.00 | 40.4 |
| Gestational age, % | ||
| Second trimester | 48.8 | 45.5 |
| Third trimester | 51.2 | 54.5 |
| Maternal anthropometry | ||
| Height, cm | 150 ± 5.56 | 151 ± 5.59 |
| Weight, kg | 48.2 ± 6.59*** | 51.0 ± 8.36 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 21.3 ± 2.41** | 22.5 ± 3.24 |
| Household characteristics | ||
| Household size, n | 4.13 ± 1.98 | 4.05 ± 1.62 |
| Household social economic status,2 % | ||
| Low | 29.0 | 34.9 |
| Middle | 34.0 | 33.1 |
| High | 37.0 | 32.0 |
| Household food insecurity,3 % | 37.0* | 42.5 |
1
Values are means ± SDs or percentages. *’**’***Signfiicantly different: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.
2
A household economic status index was constructed via principal components analysis with variables on ownerships and assets. It is a standardized score with mean = 0 and SD = 1, divided into tertiles.
3
Household food security was measured through the use of FANTA (Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance)/USAID (United States Agency for International Development)’s Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (22); the scale was then divided into food-secure and food-insecure groups (including mild, moderate, and severely insecure).