Table 1.
General characteristics of participants with bacterial vaginsis and healthy controls separately across tertiles of Medi-Lite
| Characteristics | Control | Case | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tertile 1 n = 72 |
Tertile 2 n = 47 |
Tertile 3 n = 32 |
P valueb | Tertile 1 n = 89 |
Tertile 2 n = 36 |
Tertile 3 n = 18 |
P valueb | |
| Age, year, median (Q1–Q3) | 28 (24–35) | 33 (25–39) | 33.5 (30–37.8) | 0.023* | 28 (24–33) | 31 (29–33.8) | 32 (30–37) | 0.004* |
| Familial history of BV, yes | 15 (20.8) | 13 (27.7) | 9 (28.1) | 0.605 | 50 (56.2) | 18 (50) | 9 (50) | 0.772 |
| Education | 0.939 | 0.367 | ||||||
| Primary/secondary school | 18 (25) | 11 (23.4) | 10 (31.3) | 20 (22.5) | 11 (30.6) | 5 (27.8) | ||
| Undergraduate | 34 (47.2) | 23 (48.9) | 13 (40.6) | 45 (50.6) | 21 (58.3) | 10 (55.6) | ||
| Graduate | 20 (27.8) | 13 (27.7) | 9 (28.1) | 24 (27) | 4 (11.1) | 3 (16.7) | ||
| Cigarette per day | 0.475 | 0.002* | ||||||
| 0 | 71 (98.6) | 47 (100) | 31 (96.9) | 65 (73) | 36 (100) | 17 (94.4) | ||
| 1–2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 (13.5) | 0 | 0 | ||
| ≥ 3 | 1 (1.4) | 0 | 1 (3.1) | 12 (13.5) | 0 | 1 (5.6) | ||
| Employment status, employed | 18 (25) | 12 (25.5) | 12 (37.5) | 0.387 | 26 (29.2) | 13 (36.1) | 4 (22.2) | 0.553 |
| Monthly income, < 250US$ | 59 (81.9) | 38 (80.9) | 24 (75) | 0.707 | 71 (79.8) | 27 (75) | 12 (66.7) | 0.418 |
| Frequency of pregnancy | 0.681 | 0.037* | ||||||
| 0 | 37 (51.4) | 21 (44.7) | 12 (37.5) | 39 (43.8) | 18 (50) | 6 (33.3) | ||
| 1–2 | 27 (37.5) | 21 (44.7) | 17 (53.1) | 44 (49.4) | 16 (44.4) | 6 (33.3) | ||
| ≥ 3 | 8 (11.1) | 5 (10.6) | 3 (9.4) | 6 (6.7) | 2 (5.6) | 6 (33.3) | ||
| Menstrual cycle, regular | 46 (63.9) | 35 (74.5) | 21 (65.6) | 0.468 | 59 (66.3) | 26 (72.2) | 9 (50) | 0.264 |
| Number of sexual partners in the previous month | 0.427 | 0.300 | ||||||
| 0 | 29 (40.3) | 16 (34) | 8 (25) | 34 (38.2) | 9 (25) | 5 (27.8) | ||
| 1 | 41 (56.9) | 29 (61.7) | 24 (75) | 53 (59.6) | 24 (66.7) | 12 (66.7) | ||
| ≥ 2 | 2 (2.8) | 2 (4.3) | 0 | 2 (2.2) | 3 (8.3) | 1 (5.6) | ||
| Physical activity (MET/h/d), median (Q1–Q3) | 40.5 (36.4–45.7) | 40.1 (35.8–46.9) | 39.2 (36.2–46.4) | 0.890 | 39.8 (35.2–45) | 39.9 (36.8–44.6) | 40.8 (34.7–43.8) | 0.786 |
| BMI, (kg/m2), median (Q1–Q3) | 24.3 (22.2–26.7) | 24.6 (22–29.1) | 24.3 (22.1–30.9) | 0.120 | 26 (22.5–29.1) | 27.2 (24.5–28.4) | 26.6 (23.4–28.3) | 0.724 |
| Waist circumference (cm), median (Q1–Q3) | 80 (72.5–90) | 83 (75–100) | 84 (71.3–94) | 0.323 | 87 (80–95.5) | 84.5 (64–91.5) | 85.5 (46–100.8) | 0.032* |
| Supplements | ||||||||
| Calcium 500 mg/day, yes | 13 (18.1) | 8 (17) | 3 (9.4) | 0.518 | 5 (5.6) | 2 (5.6) | 3 (16.7) | 0.223 |
| Folate 400 μg/day, yes | 12 (16.7) | 5 (10.6) | 5 (15.6) | 0.660 | 18 (20.2) | 8 (22.2) | 4 (22.2) | 0.956 |
| Vitamin D 50,000 IU/month, yes | 29 (40.3) | 20 (42.6) | 17 (53.1) | 0.467 | 31 (34.8) | 15 (41.7) | 3 (16.7) | 0.186 |
| Iron 30 mg/day, yes | 21 (29.2) | 15 (31.9) | 5 (15.6) | 0.242 | 16 (18) | 7 (19.4) | 3 (16.7) | 0.950 |
| Omega-3 1–3 g/day, yes | 3 (4.2) | 3 (6.4) | 2 (6.3) | 0.839 | 2 (2.2) | 4 (11.1) | 1 (5.6) | 0.078 |
BV, Bacterial Vaginosis; BMI, Body Mass Index
aValues are No (%)unless otherwise noted
bUsing Mann–Whitney U or χ2 test/Fisher's exact test, as appropriate