Table 1 Maternal characteristics in urban and rural area (n = 437)
From: Risk factors for low birth weight among rural and urban Malaysian women
Characteristics | Urban (n = 199) | Rural (n = 238) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
Age (years)a | 29.54 (4.76) | 29.19 (5.23) | 0.44 |
Gestational age at study visit, (weeks)a | 30.46 (5.52) | 30.19 (5.82) | 0.62 |
 Second Trimester (≥20–26 weeks) (%) | 49 (24.62) | 75 (31.51) | 0.11 |
 Third Trimester (≥27 weeks) (%) | 150 (75.38) | 163 (68.49) |  |
Parity (%) | |||
 0 | 91 (45.7) | 79 (33.2) | 0.01* |
 1–2 | 57 (28.6) | 70 (29.4) |  |
  ≥ 3 | 51 (25.6) | 89 (37.4) | |
Ethnicity (%) | |||
 Malay | 145 (72.9) | 182 (76.5) | 0.02* |
 Chinese | 26 (13.1) | 12 (5.0) | |
 Indian | 28 (14.1) | 44 (18.5) | |
Marital Status (%) | |||
 Married | 195 (98) | 237 (99.6) | 0.06 |
 Single/Widowed | 4 (2) | 1 (0.4) | |
Education Level (%) | |||
 Primary School | 4 (2) | 10 (4.2) | < 0.001* |
 Secondary School | 70 (35.2) | 133 (55.9) | |
 Tertiary School | 125 (62.8) | 95 (39.9) | |
Monthly Household Income (%)b | |||
 Low (< RM2500) | 58 (29.1) | 143 (60.1) | < 0.001* |
 Middle (RM2500-RM5599) | 105 (52.8) | 77 (32.4) | |
 High (≥ RM5600) | 36 (18.1) | 18 (7.6) | |
Occupation (%) | |||
 Managers & Professional | 57 (28.6) | 36 (15.1) | < 0.001* |
 Technician, Associate Professional, Clerical, Sales Workers | 79 (39.7) | 59 (24.8) | |
 Agricultural, Forestry, Fishery, Craft Workers, Plant and Machine Operators | 6 (3) | 10 (4.2) | |
 Unemployed | 57 (28.6) | 133 (55.9) | |