Table 1 Characteristics of infants with spina bifida and their mothers compared to controls
|  | Cases (n = 294) | Controls (n = 163) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
Infant characteristics | Â | Â | Â |
Boys | 157 (53.4) | 104 (63.8) | 0.04 |
Firstborn | 102 (34.7) | 87 (53.4) | < 0.001 |
Gestational age (week) | 37.3 (2.1) | 37.0 (2.3) | 0.22 |
Age at study visit (days) | 75.5 (86.6) | 185.3 (96.1) | < 0.001 |
Myelomeningocele | 249 (84.7) | NA | Â |
Level of spina bifida | Â | Â | Â |
 Cervical or thoracic | 11 (3.7) | NA |  |
 Lumbar | 144 (49.0) | NA |  |
 Sacral or lumbosacral | 138 (46.9) | NA |  |
Mother’s characteristics |  |  |  |
Age (years) | 24.7 (4.7) | 24.3 (5.0) | 0.39 |
Education level | Â | Â | 0.11 |
 Illiterate | 3 (1.0) | 2 (1.2) |  |
 Literate | 55 (18.7) | 22 (13.5) |  |
 High school or less | 164 (55.8) | 83 (50.9) |  |
 College | 56 (19.0) | 38 (23.3) |  |
 University | 16 (5.4) | 18 (11.0) |  |
Folic acid use during early pregnancy | 49 (16.7) | 36 (22.1) | 0.19 |
Living in Dhaka | 153 (52.0) | 89 (54.6) | 0.67 |
Pre-pregnancy diabetes | 9 (3.1) | 4 (2.5) | 0.78 |
Secondhand smoke exposure | 127 (43.2) | 60 (36.8) | 0.22 |
Fever episodes during pregnancy | 153 (52.0) | 70 (42.9) | 0.06 |
Place of birth | Â | Â | 0.16 |
 Home | 79 (26.9) | 41 (25.2) |  |
 Clinics | 111 (37.8) | 50 (30.7) |  |
 Hospitals | 104 (35.4) | 72 (44.2) |  |