Prenatal maternal stress and birth outcomes in rural Ghana: sex-specific associations

Table 1 Participant characteristics

	All Infant (N = 353)		Girls (N = 188)		Boys (N = 165)
Continuous variables, Median, IQR
Maternal age (years)	28.3	23.4-34	28.7	23.5-33.9	27.1	23.3-34.3
Maternal height (cm)	155	152-160	155.1	151-162	155	152-160
Maternal weight (kg)	55	51-62	55	50-61	55.1	51-62
Gestational Age at delivery (weeks)	39.9	39.1-4.9	39.9	39.1-40.9	39.9	39.1-40.6
Infant birth weight (kg)	3.0	2.7-3.2	2.9	2.6-3.2	3.0	2.7-3.3
Infant head circumference (cm)	33.8	32.6-35	33.5	32.4-34.5	34.0	33-35
Infant birth length (cm)	47.5	45.1-49	47.1	45-49	48.0	45.6-49
Categorical variables, N, %
Negative life events^a
0-2	97	27.5	56	51.6	41	24.8
3-5	177	50.1	87	46.3	90	54.5
> 5	79	22.3	45	23.9	34	20.6
Ethnicity
Dagarti	79	22.4	47	25.0	32	19.4
Akan	71	20.1	40	21.3	31	18.8
Konkonba	54	15.3	31	16.5	23	13.9
Gonja	42	11.9	18	9.6	24	14.5
Mo	41	11.6	20	10.6	21	12.7
Other	66	18.7	32	17.0	34	20.7
Adverse Birth Outcome^b
Low birth weight	46	13	27	14.4	19	11.5
Small for gestational age	73	20.7	48	25.5	25	15.2
Stillbirth	7	2	2	1.1	5	3
Any adverse birth outcome	85	24.1	52	27.7	33	20
Cluster^c
Liquified petroleum gas stove	76	17.2	39	20.7	37	22.4
BioLite stove	116	32.9	57	30.3	59	35.8
Three stone fire stove (control)	161	46.6	92	48.9	69	41.8
Marriage status
Married	197	55.8	106	56.4	91	55.2
Living together	126	35.7	69	36.7	57	34.5
Single	30	8.5	13	6.9	17	10.3
Home ownership
Yes	191	54.1	97	51.6	94	57

Abbreviations: IQR interquartile range; LPG liquid petroleum gas; NLEs negative life events; N number
Adverse birth outcome: stillbirth, low birth weight or small for gestational age
^a Negative life events defined by the Crisis in Family Systems-Revised (CRISYS-R) survey¹⁹
^b Low birth weight defined as less than 2500 g; Small-for-gestational age defined as birth weight < 10th percentile; Stillbirth defined as no signs of life at delivery. Any adverse birth outcome, defined as any LBW, SGA, or stillborn infant
^c Cluster as defined by randomly assigned cookstove arm in the Ghana Randomized Air Pollution and Health Study

ISSN: 1471-2393