TABLE 2.
Sociodemographic characteristics of participants who experienced spontaneous onset of labor according to meal skipping
| Maternal and household characteristics | Skipped 1 or more meals, % (N) | Did not skip any meals, % (N) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| 24 hours prior to labor (N=172) | Week prior to labor (N=79) | 24 hours prior to labor (N=435) | Week prior to labor (N=528) | |
| Age, mean (SD)a, b | 27.4 (5.9) | 26.1 (6.1) | 29.7 (5.2) | 29.5 (5.2) |
|
| ||||
| Race, % yesa, b | ||||
| Non-Hispanic, White | 64.5 (111) | 60.8 (48) | 77.2 (336) | 75.6 (399) |
| Non-Hispanic, Black | 25.0 (43) | 25.3 (20) | 12.9 (56) | 15.0 (79) |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 2.3 (4) | 2.5 (2) | 3.5 (15) | 3.2 (17) |
| Other (not specified) | 8.1 (14) | 11.4 (9) | 6.4 (28) | 6.3 (33) |
|
| ||||
| Marital status, % yesa, b | ||||
| Single | 32.0 (55) | 36.7 (29) | 15.9 (69) | 18.0 (95) |
| Married | 62.8 (108) | 55.7 (44) | 82.3 (358) | 79.9 (422) |
| Separated or Divorced | 5.2 (9) | 7.6 (6) | 1.8 (8) | 2.1 (11) |
|
| ||||
| Income (% of poverty level for 2001), % yesa, b | ||||
| ≤185 | 28.8 (47) | 36.5 (27) | 14.9 (63) | 16.2 (84) |
| 186–350 | 28.2 (46) | 28.4 (21) | 17.3 (73) | 19.1 (98) |
| >350 | 42.9 (70) | 35.1 (26) | 67.9 (287) | 64.7 (331) |
|
| ||||
| Education ≤ 12 years, % yesa, b | 28.0 (48) | 35.4 (28) | 10.6 (46) | 12.5 (66) |
|
| ||||
| Pre-pregnancy BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD)a, b | 25.6 (6.8) | 26.8 (8.3) | 23.9 (5.1) | 24.1 (5.1) |
|
| ||||
| Nulliparous, % yesa | 44.4 (76) | 41.0 (32) | 53.6 (233) | 52.5 (277) |
|
| ||||
| Gestational age (weeks), mean (SD)a | 37.7 (3.4) | 38.1 (2.3) | 38.7 (2.0) | 38.4 (2.5) |
a
Statistically significant difference (P < .05) between participants who skipped 1 or more meals in the 24-hour period preceding their labor compared to those who did not. Statistical significance was determined using a paired t-test for continuous variables and a chi-square test for categorical variables.
b
Statistically significant difference (P < .05) between participants who skipped 1 or more meals in the 1-week period preceding their labor compared to those who did not. Statistical significance was determined using a paired t-test for continuous variables and a chi-square test for categorical variables.