Table 1.
Characteristics of women and their children in the hospital and community cohorts
| Characteristics | All (n = 682) | Hospital (n = 433) | Community (n = 249) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | ||||
| Age (years) | 24.7 ± 6.3 | 24.6 ± 6.4 | 24.8 ± 6.2 | 0.77 |
| Province of residence | 0.23 | |||
| Luang Prabang | 622 (91) | 396 (91) | 226 (91) | |
| Oudomxay | 39 (6) | 21 (5) | 18 (7) | |
| Xayaboury | 12 (2) | 7 (2) | 5 (2) | |
| Other | 9 (1) | 9 (2) | 0 (0) | |
| Ethnic group | <0.001 | |||
| Lao | 104 (15) | 49 (11) | 55 (22) | |
| Khmu | 224 (33) | 104 (24) | 120 (48) | |
| Hmong | 329 (48) | 269 (62) | 60 (24) | |
| Other | 25 (4) | 11 (3) | 14 (6) | |
| Occupation | <0.001 | |||
| Does not work | 9 (1) | 4 (1) | 5 (2) | |
| Housewife | 142 (21) | 75 (17) | 67 (27) | |
| Farmer | 431 (63) | 308 (71) | 123 (49) | |
| Unskilled labourer | 4 (1) | 3 (1) | 1 (1) | |
| Skilled worker | 96 (14) | 43 (10) | 53 (21) | |
| Education | <0.001 | |||
| No formal education | 132 (19) | 102 (24) | 30 (12) | |
| Some/completed primary | 211 (31) | 125 (29) | 86 (35) | |
| Some/completed secondary | 294 (43) | 186 (43) | 108 (43) | |
| College/university | 45 (7) | 20 (5) | 25 (10) | |
| Gravidity | 2.6 ± 1.8 | 2.7 ± 2.0 | 2.3 ± 1.5 | 0.005 |
| BMI (kg/m2) a | 0.49 | |||
| <18.5 | 57 (8) | 38 (9) | 19 (8) | |
| ≥18.5–24.9 | 521 (78) | 332 (79) | 189 (76) | |
| ≥25.0–29.9 | 86 (13) | 48 (11) | 38 (15) | |
| ≥30.0 | 6 (1) | 4 (1) | 2 (1) | |
| Height <150 cm a | 362 (54) | 253 (60) | 109 (44) | <0.001 |
| MUAC <23.5 cm b | 286 (42) | 190 (45) | 96 (39) | 0.14 |
| Anemia c | 175 (26) | 132 (31) | 43 (17) | <0.001 |
| Household SES index d | 0.0 ± 1.0 | −0.1 ± 1.0 | 0.2 ± 1.0 | <0.001 |
| Food insecurity category e | <0.001 | |||
| Moderate to severe | 230 (34) | 171 (40) | 59 (24) | |
| Mild to none | 451 (66) | 261 (60) | 190 (76) | |
| Dietary diversity score | 3.2 ± 1.4 | 3.0 ± 1.4 | 3.5 ± 1.3 | < 0.001 |
| Achieved MDD‐W | 100 (15) | 54 (13%) | 46 (19%) | 0.03 |
| Children | ||||
| Age (months) | 4.3 ± 3.3 | 4.3 ± 3.4 | 4.4 ± 3.2 | 0.46 |
| Male | 406 (60) | 262 (61) | 144 (58) | 0.49 |
| Breastfeeding status f | <0.001 | |||
| Exclusive breastfeeding | 421 (62) | 272 (63) | 149 (60) | |
| Predominant breastfeeding | 45 (6) | 37 (9) | 8 (3) | |
| Partial breastfeeding | 42 (6) | 31 (7) | 11 (4) | |
| Continued breastfeeding | 141 (21) | 66 (15) | 75 (30) | |
| No longer breastfeeding | 33 (5) | 27 (6) | 6 (2) | |
| Stunted g | 167 (25) | 131 (32) | 36 (15) | <0.001 |
| Wasted g | 52 (8) | 47 (12) | 5 (2) | <0.001 |
| Underweight g | 135 (21) | 114 (28) | 21 (8) | <0.001 |
| Anemia h | 285 (44) | 224 (55) | 61 (26) | <0.001 |
Note: Values represent mean ± SD for continuous variables or n (%) for categorical variables.
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; MDD‐W, minimum dietary diversity for women; MUAC, mid‐upper arm circumference; SES, socioeconomic status.
n = 670; n = 422 hospital; n = 248 community.
n = 674; n = 426 hospital; n = 248 community.
Haemoglobin cut‐offs: <120 g/L for non‐pregnant women; <110 g/L for pregnant women; n = 677; n = 429 hospital; n = 248 community.
SES index derived from self‐reported measures of housing characteristics, household access to utilities and household ownership of assets and land; n = 678; n = 431 hospital; n = 247 community.
Food insecurity assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (Coates et al., 2007); n = 681; n = 432 hospital; n = 249 community.
Predominant breastfeeding defined as breastfeeding with certain liquids (water, water‐based drinks, fruit juice); partial breastfeeding defined as breastfeeding with other beverages, milk from cows or buffalo, infant formula.
n = 657; n = 408 hospital; n = 249 community.
Haemoglobin cut‐offs: <110 g/L for children; n = 650; n = 411 hospital; n = 239 community.