Table 2.

Infant anthropometric and birth characteristics by concentration of prenatal maternal cortisol, invitation time to start food supplementation, in Bangladeshi pregnant women or infant sex in the Maternal Infant Nutritional Interventions Matlab study.

	Cortisola		Food supplementationb		Sex
	Lower n=527	Higher n=514	Usual n=508	Early n=533	Male n=507	Female n=534
Female (%)	52.4	50.2	49.6	52.9	---	---
Birth weight (g)	2744.9 ± 394.6 c,d	2677.9 ± 418.4	2697.2 ± 429.6	2728.6 ± 385.2	2745.8 ± 411.0d	2682.5 ± 402.2
Birth length (cm)	47.7 ± 2.1	47.5 ± 2.3	47.5 ± 2.2	47.7 ± 2.0	47.9 ± 2.2d	47.3 ± 2.2
Head circumference (cm)	32.6 ± 1.5 d	32.3 ± 1.8	32.5 ± 1.7	32.4 ± 1.6	32.7 ± 1.7d	32.2 ± 1.6
LBW (%)e	26.0	30.0	28.7	27.2	25.2f	30.5
Gestational age at birth (wk)	39.3 ± 1.5 d	38.9 ± 1.78	39.1 ± 1.7	39.1 ± 1.6	39.0 ± 1.6	39.2 ± 1.6

^aCortisol obtained at 28-32 wk gestation was categorized as lower (≤ median cortisol value 9.6 nmol/l) to indicate lower stress or higher (> median cortisol value 9.6 nmol/l).

^bInvitation time to start food supplementation program was either early (~9 wk gestation) or usual (~20 wk gestation).

^cMeans ± SD (all such values).

^dp ≤0.01 t test between groups.

^eLow birth weight (LBW) is < 2500 g adjusted birth weight. Measurements taken from 24 hr to 30 d after birth were adjusted using a standard deviation score transformation with the assumption that infants tend to remain relatively positioned in the anthropometric distribution during this time period.

^fp=0.03 χ² test between groups.