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Table 1 Sample characteristics of households containing children 0–3 years or pregnant women stratified by HS participation

From: Is the healthy start scheme associated with increased food expenditure in low-income families with young children in the United Kingdom?

  

HS Participants

HS Non-participants

 

Nearly Eligible

Ineligible

Total

 

Characteristics

N (%)

475

(9.8)

401

(8.2)

P a

428

(8.8)

3565

(73.2)

4869

(100.0)

P b

Household size

Mean (SD)

3.73

(1.5)

3.5

(1.4)

0.06c

3.3

(1.1)

3.8

(1.1)

3.74

(1.2)

< 0.01f

Number of children

Mean (SD)

2.22

(1.3)

1.8

(1.1)

< 0.01c

1.6

(0.9)

1.8

(1.0)

1.79

(1.0)

< 0.01f

Number of children

0–3 years old

Mean (SD)

1.2

(0.5)

1.0

(0.5)

< 0.01c

1.0

(0.5)

1.1

(0.5)

1.08

(0.5)

< 0.01f

Households with children

< 1-year-old

N (%)

117

(24.6)

99

(24.7)

0.97d

110

(25.7)

943

(26.5)

1269

(26.1)

0.74d

Households with pregnant women

N (%)

45

(9.6)

66

(16.6)

< 0.01 d

85

(20.2)

473

(13.3)

669

(13.8)

< 0.01d

Age of HRP (years)

Mean (SD)

31.1

(9.4)

32.8

(10.5)

< 0.01c

33.3

(8.6)

35.8

(7.3)

34.84

(8.1)

< 0.01f

Disposable household income (£/week)

Mean (SD)

153.4

(73.6)

155.6

(79.3)

0.66c

164.6

(57.8)

405.3

(179.7)

339.00

(192.3)

< 0.01f

Ethnicity of HRP

N (%)

    

0.76 d

      

< 0.01d

 White

 

400

(84.0)

340

(84.8)

 

313

(73.1)

3047

(85.5)

4100

(84.2)

 

 Ethnic Minority

 

76

(16.0)

61

(15.2)

 

115

(26.8)

518

(14.5)

770

(15.8)

 

Social Class of HRP

N (%)

    

< 0.01 d

      

< 0.01d

 Higher occupations

 

30

(6.3)

42

(10.6)

 

79

(18.5)

1915

(53.7)

2066

(42.4)

 

 Intermediate

 

32

(6.7)

52

(13.0)

 

95

(22.2)

624

(17.5)

803

(16.5)

 

 Routine occupations

 

143

(30.0)

141

(35.2)

 

212

(49.5)

886

(24.9)

1382

(28.4)

 

 Unemployed / students

 

271

(56.9)

166

(41.4)

 

42

(9.8)

140

(3.9)

619

(12.7)

 

Education of HRP

N (%)

    

0.49 d

      

< 0.01d

 <  16 years

 

79

(16.6)

55

(13.7)

 

45

(10.5)

128

(3.6)

307

(6.3)

 

 16–18 years

 

305

(64.1)

268

(66.8)

 

249

(58.2)

1733

(48.6)

2555

(52.5)

 

 > 18 years

 

92

(19.3)

78

(19.5)

 

134

(31.3)

1704

(47.8)

2008

(41.2)

 

Region

N (%)

    

0.05 d

      

< 0.01d

 North

 

140

(29.4)

112

(27.9)

 

117

(27.3)

839

(23.5)

1208

(24.8)

 

 Midlands

 

85

(17.7)

58

(14.5)

 

70

(16.4)

575

(16.1)

788

(16.2)

 

 East

 

38

(8.0)

27

(6.7)

 

43

(10.1)

386

(10.8)

494

(10.1)

 

 London

 

49

(10.3)

58

(14.5)

 

47

(11.0)

396

(11.1)

550

(11.3)

 

 South

 

85

(17.9)

51

(12.7)

 

79

(18.5)

819

(23.0)

1034

(21.2)

 

 Wales

 

25

(5.3)

18

(4.5)

 

13

(3.0)

166

(4.7)

222

(4.6)

 

 Scotland

 

37

(7.8)

44

(11.0)

 

33

(7.7)

263

(7.4)

377

(7.4)

 

 N. Ireland

 

17

(3.6)

33

(8.3)

 

26

(6.1)

121

(3.4)

197

(4.1)

 

Total Food Expenditure (£/week)

Median (IQR)

43.5

(37.1)

44.54

(44.2)

0.28 e

49.10

(39.0)

67.1

(43.3)

61.6

(44.8)

< 0.01g

HS Foods expenditure (£/week)

Median (IQR)

6.7

(8.6)

7.72

(8.9)

0.06 e

10.29

(11.2)

13.2

(12.0)

11.8

(12.0)

< 0.01g

HS Foods quantity (Kg/week) h

Median (IQR)

7.4

(7.5)

7.92

(8.4)

0.68 e

9.56

(8.6)

10.6

(8.8)

9.9

(8.6)

0.01g

FV expenditure (£/week)

Median (IQR)

3.7

(6.3)

4.47

(6.8)

0.11 e

5.91

(8.5)

9.1

(10.0)

7.8

(9.7)

< 0.01g

FV quantity (Kg/week) h

Median (IQR)

2.5

(4.0)

2.96

(4.7)

0.26 e

4.03

(4.9)

5.1

(4.7)

4.5

(4.9)

0.01g

Milk expenditure (£/week)

Median (IQR)

1.8

(2.5)

2.00

(2.4)

0.32 e

1.77

(2.1)

2.2

(2.4)

2.1

(2.4)

< 0.01g

Milk quantity (L/week) h

Median (IQR)

1.9

(2.5)

2.10

(2.6)

0.62 e

1.84

(1.9)

2.2

(2.4)

2.1

(2.4)

0.01g

Infant Formula expenditure (£/week) i

Median (IQR)

1.5

(4.3)

3.97

(7.5)

0.23 e

4.04

(7.3)

3.9

(8.2)

3.7

(7.9)

0.04g

Infant Formula

quantity (Kg/week) j

Median (IQR)

1.8

(3.2)

3.15

(6.3)

0.04 e

3.15

(6.3)

3.2

(6.3)

3.2

(6.3)

0.23g

  1. FV Fruit and Vegetables, HS Healthy Start, HRP Household Reference Person, IQR Interquartile Range, SD Standard Deviation. Boldface indicates statistical significance
  2. aP-values are based on significance tests exploring the difference in characteristics between HS participants and HS non-participants groups. P-values are labelled individually to show which statistical tests were used (see below)
  3. bP-values are based on significance tests exploring the difference in characteristics between HS participants, HS non-participants, Nearly Eligible and Ineligible groups. P-values are labelled individually to show which statistical tests were used (see below)
  4. cStudent t-test; d) χ2 test; e) Mann-Whitney test, f) ANOVA g) Kruskal-Wallis test
  5. hSample surveys years 2010–2015 (n = 3254); i) Sample of households with children < 1 years (n = 1260); j) Sample of households with children < 1 years + survey years 2010–15 (n = 838)
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