Table 1.
Socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics of ASD and TD children.
| Variable | TD Children | ASD Children | p-Value a |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (n = 43) | - | ||
| Male | 35 | 35 | |
| Female | 8 | 8 | |
| Age a (mean years ± SD) | 6.2 ± 2.5 | 5.9 ± 2.6 | 0.472 |
| Mother education level | |||
| <secondary degree | 11 (26%) | 7 (16%) | 0.289 |
| ≥secondary degree | 32 (74%) | 36 (84%) | |
| Father education level | |||
| < secondary degree | 18 (42%) | 21 (49%) | 0.516 |
| ≥ secondary degree | 25 (58%) | 22 (51%) | |
| Monthly income | |||
| <1,500,000 | 18 (42%) | 24 (56%) | 0.196 |
| ≥1,500,000 | 25 (58%) | 19 (44%) | |
| Child on special diet | 0 (0%) | 10 (23%) | 0.001 |
| Child on follow up b | 0 (0%) | 21 (49%) | 0.000 |
| Child as the only child in family | 4 (9%) | 7 (16%) | 0.333 |
| Family members (mean ± SD) | 5 ± 1.1 | 4.54 ± 1 | 0.025 |
| Anthropometric characteristics | |||
| BMI for age | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | p -Value a |
| 0.306 | |||
| Underweight | 3 (7%) | 3 (7%) | |
| Normal | 21 (49%) | 15 (35%) | |
| Overweight | 6 (14%) | 13 (30%) | |
| Obese | 13 (30%) | 12 (28%) |
Note. ASD: autism spectrum disorder, TD: typically developing, SD: standard deviation. a Age breakdown among children with ASD: 27 (63%) 3–6 years, 16 (37%) 6–12 years among TD children; 26 (61%) 3–6 years, 17 (39%) 6–12 years among ASD children. b p-value for differences between ASD and TD children from Chi-square test for categorical variables and independent samples Mann–Whitney U test for continuous variables. BMI: body mass index. ASD: autism spectrum disorder. TD: typically developing. a p-value for differences between ASD and TD children from Chi-square test. b behavioral and nutritional follow up.