Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of enrolled Malaysian women by treatment group*
| 0 mg folic acid (n=110) | 0.4 mg folic acid (n=110) | 2.8 mg folic acid (n=111) | |
| Age, years | 18 (18,18) | 18 (18,18) | 18 (18,19) |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Malay | 96 (87%) | 99 (90%) | 100 (90%) |
| Chinese | 9 (8%) | 7 (6%) | 8 (7%) |
| Indian | 1 (1%) | 2 (2%) | 2 (2%) |
| Other | 4 (4%) | 2 (2%) | 1 (1%) |
| Never married | 110 (100%) | 107 (97%) | 110 (99%) |
| People living in household | 5 (4,6) | 5 (4,6) | 5 (5,6) |
| Current level of schooling | |||
| Foundation year | 84 (76%) | 87 (79%) | 83 (75%) |
| Bachelor’s degree | 22 (20%) | 19 (17%) | 22 (20%) |
| Completed Bachelor’s degree or higher | 4 (3.6%) | 4 (4%) | 6 (5%) |
| Monthly household income, US$ | |||
| Less than US$250 | 5 (5%) | 3 (3%) | 10 (9%) |
| US$250–US$450 | 18 (16%) | 20 (18%) | 12 (11%) |
| US$450–US$900 | 22 (20%) | 18 (16%) | 14 (13%) |
| US$900–US$1400 | 21 (19%) | 21 (19%) | 17 (15%) |
| US$1400 and above | 33 (30%) | 30 (27%) | 52 (47%) |
| Declined | 11 (10%) | 18 (16%) | 6 (5%) |
| BMI category (kg/m2) | |||
| Underweight, <18.5 | 19 (17%) | 25 (23%) | 16 (14%) |
| Normal weight, 18.5–24.9 | 64 (58%) | 61 (56%) | 74 (67%) |
| Overweight, 25–29.9 | 13 (12%) | 15 (14%) | 11 (10%) |
| Obese, ≥30 | 14 (13%) | 9 (8%) | 10 (9%) |
| Baseline Hb, g/L | 129±12 | 128±12 | 128±11 |
| Anaemia prevalence, Hb <120 g/L | 18 (16%) | 20 (18%) | 20 (18%) |
*Values are mean±SD, median (IQR), or n (%).
BMI, body mass index; Hb, haemoglobin.