Table 1.
Characteristics according to quartile of maternal cheese intake during pregnancy (n = 64,200)
| Quartile of cheese intake | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (low) | 2 | 3 | 4 (high) | Total | |||||||
| Median intake of cheese, g/day | 0.0 | 1.3 | 4.3 | 10.0 | |||||||
| Mean intake of energy, cal | 1,534 | 1,619 | 1,758 | 2,034 | 1,736 | ||||||
| Age at childbirth, years | 30.9 | 31.4 | 31.9 | 32.3 | 31.6 | ||||||
| Previous childbirth | Nulliparous | 7,090 | (46.0) | 7,187 | (43.9) | 6,748 | (39.9) | 5,993 | (38.6) | 27,018 | (42.1) |
| Multiparous | 8,314 | (54.0) | 9,170 | (56.1) | 10,164 | (60.1) | 9,534 | (61.4) | 37182 | (57.9) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | <18.5 | 783 | (5.1) | 779 | (4.8) | 859 | (5.1) | 797 | (5.1) | 3,218 | (5.0) |
| 18.5–<25 | 11,979 | (77.8) | 13,068 | (79.9) | 13,752 | (81.3) | 12,635 | (81.4) | 51,434 | (80.1) | |
| ≥25 | 2,642 | (17.2) | 2,510 | (15.4) | 2,301 | (13.6) | 2,095 | (13.5) | 9,548 | (14.9) | |
| Education level | Junior high school or high school | 6,175 | (40.1) | 5,591 | (34.2) | 4,852 | (28.7) | 3,972 | (25.6) | 20,590 | (32.1) |
| Technical junior college, technical/vocational college or associate degree | 6,443 | (41.8) | 7,085 | (43.3) | 7,554 | (44.7) | 6,936 | (44.7) | 28,018 | (43.6) | |
| Bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree | 2,786 | (18.1) | 3,681 | (22.5) | 4,506 | (26.6) | 4,619 | (29.8) | 15,592 | (24.3) | |
| Annual household income, JPY | <4 million | 6,861 | (44.5) | 6,330 | (38.7) | 6,076 | (35.9) | 5,230 | (33.7) | 24,497 | (38.2) |
| 4–<6 million | 4,844 | (31.5) | 5,577 | (34.1) | 5,878 | (34.8) | 5,487 | (35.3) | 21,786 | (33.9) | |
| ≥6 million | 3,699 | (24.0) | 4,450 | (27.2) | 4,958 | (29.3) | 4,810 | (31.0) | 17,917 | (27.9) | |
| Marital status | Married (including common law marriage) | 15,107 | (98.1) | 16,142 | (98.7) | 16,728 | (98.9) | 15,375 | (99.0) | 63,352 | (98.7) |
| Divorced or widowed | 130 | (0.8) | 112 | (0.7) | 90 | (0.5) | 73 | (0.5) | 405 | (0.6) | |
| Others | 167 | (1.1) | 103 | (0.6) | 94 | (0.6) | 79 | (0.5) | 443 | (0.7) | |
| Alcohol intake | Never | 14,220 | (92.3) | 15,021 | (91.8) | 15,523 | (91.8) | 14,190 | (91.4) | 58,954 | (91.8) |
| Ex-drinker | 618 | (4.0) | 692 | (4.2) | 788 | (4.7) | 703 | (4.5) | 2,801 | (4.4) | |
| One to three times/month | 382 | (2.5) | 438 | (2.7) | 426 | (2.5) | 442 | (2.9) | 1,688 | (2.6) | |
| Once a week or more | 184 | (1.2) | 206 | (1.3) | 175 | (1.0) | 192 | (1.2) | 757 | (1.2) | |
| Smoking status | Never | 8,803 | (57.2) | 9,909 | (60.6) | 10,810 | (63.9) | 9,985 | (64.3) | 39,507 | (61.5) |
| Ex-drinker | 3,472 | (22.5) | 3,786 | (23.2) | 3,871 | (22.9) | 3,728 | (24.0) | 14,857 | (23.1) | |
| One to three times/month | 2,413 | (15.7) | 2,130 | (13.0) | 1,827 | (10.8) | 1,464 | (9.4) | 7,834 | (12.2) | |
| Once a week or more | 716 | (4.7) | 532 | (3.3) | 404 | (2.4) | 350 | (2.3) | 2,002 | (3.1) | |
| Employed | No | 7,752 | (50.3) | 8,395 | (51.3) | 8,953 | (52.9) | 8,471 | (54.6) | 33,571 | (52.3) |
| Yes | 7,652 | (49.7) | 7,962 | (48.7) | 7,959 | (47.1) | 7,056 | (45.4) | 30,629 | (47.7) | |
| Sex of the child | Boy | 7,504 | (48.7) | 8,124 | (49.7) | 8,171 | (48.3) | 7,667 | (49.4) | 31,466 | (49.0) |
| Girl | 7,900 | (51.3) | 8,233 | (50.3) | 8,741 | (51.7) | 7,860 | (50.6) | 32,734 | (51.0) | |
| Nursery | No | 5,354 | (34.8) | 5,887 | (36.0) | 6,248 | (36.9) | 5,927 | (38.2) | 23,416 | (36.5) |
| Yes | 10,050 | (65.2) | 10,470 | (64.0) | 10,664 | (63.1) | 9,600 | (61.8) | 40,784 | (63.5) | |
| Location where the baby sleeps at night | In the parent's bed | 12,933 | (84.0) | 13,719 | (83.9) | 14,294 | (84.5) | 13,019 | (83.9) | 53,965 | (84.1) |
| In a baby bed located in the parent's room | 2,262 | (14.7) | 2,425 | (14.8) | 2,403 | (14.2) | 2,282 | (14.7) | 9,372 | (14.6) | |
| In a baby bed located in a room other than the bedroom of his/her parents | 152 | (1.0) | 145 | (0.9) | 161 | (1.0) | 173 | (1.1) | 631 | (1.0) | |
| Other | 57 | (0.4) | 68 | (0.4) | 54 | (0.3) | 53 | (0.3) | 232 | (0.4) | |
| Birth weight, g | 3,018 | 3,028 | 3,034 | 3,035 | 3,029 | ||||||
| Gestational weeks | 39.3 | 39.3 | 39.3 | 39.3 | 39.3 | ||||||
| Eating dairy products | Yes | 14,971 | (97.2) | 15,953 | (97.5) | 16,502 | (97.6) | 15,164 | (97.7) | 62,590 | (97.5) |
| No | 433 | (2.8) | 404 | (2.5) | 410 | (2.4) | 363 | (2.3) | 1,610 | (2.5) | |
| Disease | No | 9,111 | (59.2) | 9,728 | (59.5) | 10,024 | (59.3) | 9,193 | (59.2) | 38,056 | (59.3) |
| Yes | 6,293 | (40.9) | 6,629 | (40.5) | 6,888 | (40.7) | 6,334 | (40.8) | 26,144 | (40.7) | |
| Birth month | 1 | 1,259 | (8.2) | 1,214 | (7.4) | 1,285 | (7.6) | 1,169 | (7.5) | 4,927 | (7.7) |
| 2 | 1,063 | (6.9) | 1,126 | (6.9) | 1,187 | (7.0) | 1,056 | (6.8) | 4,432 | (6.9) | |
| 3 | 1,178 | (7.7) | 1,285 | (7.9) | 1,259 | (7.4) | 1,188 | (7.7) | 4,910 | (7.6) | |
| 4 | 1,223 | (7.9) | 1,254 | (7.7) | 1,297 | (7.7) | 1,179 | (7.6) | 4,953 | (7.7) | |
| 5 | 1,202 | (7.8) | 1,320 | (8.1) | 1,400 | (8.3) | 1,258 | (8.1) | 5,180 | (8.1) | |
| 6 | 1,202 | (7.8) | 1,258 | (7.7) | 1,368 | (8.1) | 1,243 | (8.0) | 5,071 | (7.9) | |
| 7 | 1,382 | (9.0) | 1,477 | (9.0) | 1,484 | (8.8) | 1,414 | (9.1) | 5,757 | (9.0) | |
| 8 | 1,555 | (10.1) | 1,660 | (10.2) | 1,669 | (9.9) | 1,618 | (10.4) | 6,502 | (10.1) | |
| 9 | 1,568 | (10.2) | 1,689 | (10.3) | 1,683 | (10.0) | 1,627 | (10.5) | 6,567 | (10.2) | |
| 10 | 1,433 | (9.3) | 1,567 | (9.6) | 1,631 | (9.6) | 1,416 | (9.1) | 6,047 | (9.4) | |
| 11 | 1,178 | (7.7) | 1,251 | (7.7) | 1,350 | (8.0) | 1,177 | (7.6) | 4,956 | (7.7) | |
| 12 | 1,161 | (7.5) | 1,256 | (7.7) | 1,299 | (7.7) | 1,182 | (7.6) | 4,898 | (7.6) | |