Table 1.
Maternal and infant characteristics and their association with maternal cortisol levels (n = 230).
| Variables | Categories | Cortisol levels |
p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (≤17.66 μg/L) (n = 116) | High (>17.66 μg/L) (n = 114) | |||
| Maternal age (years) | Continuous (mean & SD) | 24.93 (±4.47) | 23.51 (±3.8) | 0.012 |
| Maternal age (years) | 18–25 (Ref) | 11 (4.8) | 07 (3) | |
| 26–30 | 36 (15.7) | 25 (10.8) | 0.221 | |
| >30 | 69 (30) | 82 (35.7) | 0.08 | |
| Gravida | 1 (Ref) | 36 (15.7) | 49 (21.3) | |
| 2 | 50 (21.7) | 46 (20) | 0.037 | |
| ≥3 | 30 (13) | 19 (8.3) | 0.296 | |
| Parity | Nullipara (Ref) | 41 (17.8) | 55 (23.9) | |
| Primi | 62 (27) | 52 (22.6) | 0.075 | |
| Multi | 13 (5.7) | 07 (3) | 0.38 | |
| BMI | Normal (18.5–22.9) (Ref) | 36 (15.7) | 41 (17.8) | |
| Underweight (<18.5) | 05 (2.2) | 09 (3.9) | 0.223 | |
| Overweight (23–24.9) | 19 (8.3) | 20 (8.7) | 0.162 | |
| Obese (≥25) | 56 (24.3) | 44 (19.1) | 0.44 | |
| spousal smoking cigarette | No (Ref) | 70 (31.3) | 70 (31.3) | 0.863 |
| Yes | 41 (18.3) | 43 (19.2) | ||
| Spousal alcohol habit | No (Ref) | 91 (40.6) | 100 (44.6) | 0.172 |
| Yes | 20 (8.9) | 13 (5.8) | ||
| History of abortion | No (Ref) | 90 (39.1) | 95 (41.3) | 0.273 |
| Yes | 26 (11.3) | 19 (8.3) | ||
| GDM | No (Ref) | 90 (39.1) | 96 (41.7) | 0.203 |
| Yes | 26 (11.3) | 18 (7.8) | ||
| HYP | No | 106 (46.1) | 108 (47) | 0.322 |
| Yes | 10 (4.3) | 6 (2.6) | ||
| Respondent's sum of skin fold | <90th percentile (Ref) | 107 (46.5) | 100 (43.5) | 0.257 |
| ≥90th percentile | 9 (3.9) | 14 (6.1) | ||
| Depressive symptoms | No (0–12) (Ref) | 97 (42.2) | 91 (39.6) | 0.457 |
| Yes (≥13) | 19 (8.3) | 23 (10) | ||
| Social support | ≥24 (Ref) | 55 (23.9) | 53 (23.1) | 0.889 |
| <24 | 61 (26.5) | 61 (26.5) | ||
| GA at delivery | <37 weeks | 07 (3) | 08 (3.5) | 0.763 |
| ≥37 weeks (Ref) | 109 (47.4) | 106 (46.1) | ||
| Infant characteristics | ||||
| Infant gender | Female (Ref) | 47 (20.4) | 66 (28.7) | |
| Male | 69 (30) | 48 (20.9) | 0.008 | |
| Low birth weight (<2.5 kg) | No (Ref) | 76 (33) | 88 (38.3) | |
| Yes | 40 (17.4) | 26 (11.3) | 0.05 | |
| SGA | No (Ref) | 63 (27.5) | 63 (27.5) | |
| Yes | 53 (23.1) | 50 (21.8) | 0.826 | |
| WLZ (<10th percentile) | No (Ref) | 86 (37.6) | 96 (41.9) | |
| Yes | 30 (13.1) | 17 (7.4) | 0.043 | |
| HC (<10th percentile) | No (Ref) | 102 (44.5) | 103 (45) | |
| Yes | 14 (6.1) | 10 (4.4) | 0.426 | |
| SSF (<10th percentile) | No (Ref) | 103 (44.8) | 104 (45.2) | |
| Yes | 13 (5.7) | 10 (4.3) | 0.539 | |
The bold values are the p-values obtained for the listed variables. Maternal factors such as maternal age, gravida and infant characteristics such as gender, weight for length are the factors significantly differ between the cortisol groups.
GA-gestational age, BMI-Body mass index, GDM-pregnancy gestational diabetes mellitus, HYP-pregnancy hypertension, SGA-Small for gestational age, WLZ-weight for length z-score, HC-head circumference, SSF-sum of skinfold thickness.