Weight, physical activity and dietary behavior change in young mothers: short term results of the HeLP-her cluster randomized controlled trial

Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the HeLP-her intervention by group assignment

Variable	Intervention group (n = 127)	Control group (n = 123)	P value^a
Age at baseline, mean (SD), yr	40.6 (4.8)	40.3 (4.8)	0.62
Height Mean (SD), cm	163.1 (6.0)	162.9 (5.6)	0.78
Weight, kg Weight Range, kg	73.2 (13.8) 46.3 to 115.6	74.6 (16.1) 44.6 to 129.6	0.45
BMI Mean,(SD)^b kg/m²	27.5 (5.1)	28.1(5.8)	0.40
Hip, cm	106.6 (11.0)	108.1(11.8)	0.29
No. of children, mean, (SD)	2.3 (0.7)	2.4 (0.8)	0.23
Waist circumference mean, (SD), cm	94.8 (12.6)	96.8 (14.6)	0.24
Energy intake (kJ/day)^d	6648 (2204)	6830 (2361)	0.55
Energy expenditure Met-mins/week^e	1504 (1657)	1653 (452)	0.52
Highest Education
Up to year 10 n (%)	25 (21.0)	36 (30.3)
Year 12	25 (21.0)	26 (21.9)	0.31
Trade or certificate	33 (27.7)	24 (20.2)
University or higher	36 (30.3)	33 (27.7)
Income ($ AUD)^c
< 40,000	22 (18.8)	27 (22.8)
40–60,000	26 (22.2)	18 (15.2)	0.08
60–80,000	20 (17.0)	26 (22.0)
> 80,000	31 (26.4)	33 (27.9)
No answer	18 (15.3)	14 (11.8)
Employment (%)
Not working	46 (40.3)	49 (41.1)
Part time	61 (53.5)	63 (52.9)	0.99
Full time	7 (6.1)	7 (5.8)

Abbreviations, MET-mins/week = MET level × minutes per day × days per week, where 1 MET is equivalent to resting energy expenditure (MET level, walking, 3.3, moderate 4.0 and vigorous 8.0)
^a P values from 2-sample t tests for continuous variables or from chi2 tests for categorical variables
^b Body mass index, measured as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared
^c Numbers may vary due to missing values or incorrectly completed surveys as participants were given a 'prefer not to answer' option for income.
^d n = 110 intervention and n = 106 controls correctly completed food frequency questionnaires
^e n = 89 intervention and n = 89 controls correctly completed IPAQ activity questionnaires

ISSN: 1475-2891