Table 1.
Overview of the characteristics of the participants (n = 16 063).
| Pregnant Women (n = 6 661) | Breastfeeding Women (n = 9 402) | |
|---|---|---|
| % (n) | % (n) | |
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||
| Country | ||
| Belgium | 41.3 (2754) | 45.4 (4268) |
| Ireland | 10.4 (692) | 9.7 (912) |
| Norway | 20.2 (1344) | 15.8 (1485) |
| Switzerland | 8.5 (563) | 12.7 (1193) |
| The Netherlands | 17.6 (1173) | 15.4 (1447) |
| United Kingdom | 2.0 (135) | 1.0 (97) |
| Maternal age (years) | ||
| 18–25 | 6.2 (373) | 3.2 (266) |
| 26–30 | 36.7 (2191) | 29.1 (2436) |
| 31–35 | 42.1 (2515) | 46.7 (3907) |
| 36–40 | 13.5 (806) | 18.0 (1504) |
| >40 | 0.1 (88) | 3.0 (254) |
| Relationship status | ||
| Partner | 97.8 (5868) | 97.7 (8213) |
| No partner | 2.2 (132) | 2.3 (191) |
| Professional status | ||
| Professionally active, not in healthcare | 59.3 (3499) | 58.4 (4837) |
| Professionally active, in healthcare | 33.0 (1950) | 31.6 (2618) |
| Not professionally active | 7.7 (454) | 10.0 (826) |
| Education level | ||
| Low | 3.2 (190) | 3.9 (319) |
| Medium | 20.6 (1217) | 21.0 (1734) |
| High | 76.2 (4494) | 75.1 (6194) |
| Smoking in pregnancy/breastfeeding | ||
| Yes | 2.5 (151) | 3.5 (296) |
| No | 97.5 (5849) | 96.5 (8110) |
| Health and reproductive characteristics | ||
| SARS-CoV-2 | ||
| Tested | 6.5 (421) | 8.9 (803) |
| Tested positive | 0.6 (38) | 0.6 (52) |
| Chronic illnessa | ||
| Yes | 19.2 (623) | 16.1 (665) |
| No | 80.8 (2623) | 83.9 (3473) |
| Gravidity | ||
| Primigravida | 47.8 (3183) | N/A |
| Multigravida | 52.2 (3478) | N/A |
| Planned pregnancy | ||
| Yes | 85.4 (5690) | N/A |
| No | 14.6 (971) | N/A |
| Gestational trimester | ||
| First trimester (0–12 weeks) | 9.9 (653) | N/A |
| Second trimester (13–27 weeks) | 38.9 (2558) | N/A |
| Third trimester (28–40 weeks) | 51.1 (3357) | N/A |
| Current breastfeeding duration | ||
| ≤6 weeks | N/A | 17.5 (1512) |
| Between 6 weeks–6 months | N/A | 43.6 (3758) |
| >6 months | N/A | 38.9 (3357) |
| Previous breastfeeding experience | ||
| Yes | N/A | 55.1 (5113) |
| No | N/A | 44.9 (4173) |
Numbers may not add up due to missing values. a information about the variable “chronic illness” was not available for Belgian participants. N/A: not applicable.