Table 1.
Sociodemographic characteristics of pregnant women (<20 weeks of pregnancy) and women in the postpartum period (2–6 months), India (NFHS 4, 2015–16).
| Characteristics | Pregnant women (n=16 153) | Postpartum women (n=19 430) |
|---|---|---|
| No. (%) | No. (%) | |
| Age, y | ||
| 20–24 | 7847 (50.6) | 8774 (47.8) |
| 25–29 | 5486 (34.3) | 6829 (35.1) |
| 30–34 | 2037 (11.3) | 2651 (12.3) |
| ≥35 | 783 (3.8) | 1176 (4.9) |
| Age at marriage less than 18 y | 4605 (29.3) | 6605 (36.2) |
| Gestational age, wk | ||
| 0–4 | 1134 (6.3) | NA |
| 5–8 | 3199 (19.4) | NA |
| 9–12 | 3964 (25.5) | NA |
| 13–16 | 3918 (24.2) | NA |
| 17–20 | 3938 (24.6) | NA |
| Parity | ||
| 0 | 5415 (34.6) | |
| 1 | 5402 (34.0) | 6464 (33.8) |
| 2 | 2869 (17.3) | 6532 (35.3) |
| ≥3 | 2467 (14.2) | 6434 (30.9) |
| Highest educational level | ||
| No education | 4118 (25.3) | 5332 (26.6) |
| Primary | 2105 (12.1) | 2709 (13.3) |
| Secondary | 7671 (46.4) | 9111 (46.4) |
| Higher | 2259 (16.2) | 2278 (13.6) |
| Place of residence | ||
| Rural | 12067 (70.0) | 14949 (73.0) |
| Urban | 4086 (30.0) | 4481 (27.1) |
| Caste or tribe of the household | ||
| Scheduled caste | 3095 (21.4) | 3644 (21.2) |
| Scheduled tribe | 3040 (9.2) | 4064 (11.0) |
| Other backward classes | 6412 (45.4) | 7534 (44.3) |
| Others | 3606 (23.9) | 4188 (23.4) |
| Improved source of drinking water | 13344 (83.5) | 15595 (80.9) |
| Improved toilet facilities | 6813 (40.4) | 7506 (37.0) |
| Wealth index | ||
| Poorest | 3693 (22.4) | 4916 (24.5) |
| Poorer | 3562 (20.2) | 4560 (21.7) |
| Middle | 3233 (20.0) | 3838 (19.3) |
| Richer | 2871 (18.2) | 3253 (18.6) |
| Richest | 2794 (19.2) | 2863 (15.9) |
| Exclusive breastfeeding a | NA | NA |
| Dietary intake | ||
| Consume daily milk/curd and pulses/beans or egg/fish/meat and dark green leafy vegetables | 2516 (18.1) | 3053 (18.0) |
| Eats fried food weekly | 5537 (35.9) | 6329 (35.2) |
| Consumes aerated drinks weekly | 3047 (19.5) | 3064 (16.4) |
| Maternal health services | ||
| Consumed 100 mg iron‐folic acid tablets | NA | |
| Took drugs for intestinal worm | NA | |
| Received supplementary nutrition from AWC | NA | |
| Received health and nutrition education at AWC | NA | |
Abbreviations: AWC, Anganwadi centre; NA, not applicable.
a
Postpartum women practicing exclusive breastfeeding (give only breast milk during the previous day).