Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of autistic and typically developing children in Chongqing and Hainan.
| Characteristics | ASD-Chongqing | TD-Chongqing | ASD-Hainan | TD-Hainan | P | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | Mean ± SD | 4.39 ± 1.25 | 4.44 ± 0.82 | 4.28 ± 1.37 | 4.35 ± 1.18 | 0.469 | ||||
| Sex | Male, % (n) | 85.17 | (379) | 50.75 | (102) | 85.32 | (250) | 49.5 | (50) | |
| Ethnicity | Han, % (n) | 97.08 | (432) | 96.02 | (193) | 91.81 | (269) | 96.04 | (97) | |
| Family annual income per capita (RMB yuan), %(n) | ||||||||||
| <30,000 | 64.49 | (287) | 62.19 | (125) | 55.29 | (162) | 56.44 | (57) | 0.065 | |
| >30,000 | 35.51 | (158) | 37.81 | (76) | 44.71 | (131) | 43.56 | (44) | ||
| Father's educational levels, %(n) | ||||||||||
| High school or below | 55.06 | (245) | 53.23 | (107) | 47.1 | (138) | 45.54 | (46) | 0.102 | |
| College or above | 44.94 | (200) | 46.77 | (94) | 52.9 | (155) | 54.46 | (55) | ||
| Mother's educational levels, %(n) | ||||||||||
| High school or below | 65.39 | (291) | 56.72 | (114) | 62.12 | (182) | 55.45 | (56) | 0.095 | |
| College or above | 34.61 | (154) | 43.28 | (87) | 37.88 | (111) | 44.55 | (45) | ||
| Mild picky eating, %(n) | 42.47 | (189) | 45.27 | (91) | 38.57 | (113) | 33.66 | (34) | 0.181 | |
| Severe picky eating, %(n) | 29.89 | (133) | 8.96 | (18)a*** | 25.6 | (75) | 6.93 | (7)b*** | <0.001 | |
| Gastrointestinal problems, %(n) | 57.08 | (254) | 25.87 | (52)a*** | 54.95 | (161) | 20.79 | (21)b*** | <0.001 | |
Data shown as (mean ± SD) or percentage (number). One-way ANOVA and chi-square test were used in the analysis.
a
Significant difference of percentage of severe picky eating and gastrointestinal problems between ASD children and TD children in Chongqing.
b
Significant difference of percentage of severe picky eating and gastrointestinal problems between ASD children and TD children in Hainan province. P-value was adjusted in multiple comparisons by the Bonferroni method.
***
P < 0.001.
ASD, autism spectrum disorder; TD, typically developing.