TABLE 3.

Association of maternal prepregnancy overweight or obese status with maternal (mid-pregnancy) iron status from path analysis testing for mediation by maternal (mid-pregnancy) hepcidin concentration¹

	Indicator of maternal (mid-pregnancy) iron status
	Maternal log serum ferritin concentration (mid-pregnancy)		Maternal log soluble transferrin receptor concentration (mid-pregnancy)
Mediating variable: maternal hepcidin (mid-pregnancy)	Coefficient	SE	Coefficient	SE
Direct effect	0.04	0.07	0.08**	0.03
Indirect effect	−0.05	0.05	0.01	0.01
Total effect	−0.01	0.09	0.09***	0.03

¹ n = 405. Coefficients shown are standardized path coefficients. For the direct effect, the coefficient is the partial regression coefficient of maternal prepregnancy overweight or obese status on maternal (mid-pregnancy) iron status, adjusting for maternal hepcidin. The indirect effect is calculated as the product of the path coefficient between maternal prepregnancy overweight or obese status and maternal hepcidin, and the path coefficient between maternal hepcidin and maternal iron status (i.e., the indirect effect of maternal prepregnancy overweight or obese status on maternal iron status as mediated by maternal hepcidin). The total effect is calculated as the sum of the direct and indirect effects. ^*,**,***Statistically significant point estimate: **P < 0.05, ***P < 0.01.