Dietary Intake across Reproductive Life Stages of Women in India: A Cross-Sectional Survey from 4 Districts of India

Table 1

Sociodemographic characteristics of study participants (n = 1687).

Characteristics	Adolescent girls n = 223, N (%)	Newly married women n = 532, N (%)	Pregnant women n = 477, N (%)	Lactating mothers n = 455, N (%)	Total n = 1687, N (%)
Residential area
Rural	122 (54.7)	272 (51.1)	243 (50.9)	229 (50.3)	866 (51.3)
Urban slums	101 (45.3)	260 (48.9)	234 (49.1)	224 (49.7)	821 (48.7)
District
Sri Ganganagar	59 (26.5)	170 (32)	138 (28.9)	137 (30.1)	504 (29.9)
Patna	63 (28.3)	102 (19.2)	105 (22)	92 (20.2)	362 (21.5)
West Delhi	72 (32.3)	169 (31.8)	150 (31.4)	149 (32.7)	540 (32)
Bangalore	29 (13)	91 (17.1)	84 (17.6)	77 (16.9)	281 (16.7)
Educational status of women or girls
Primary or below	24 (10.8)	174 (32.7)	145 (30.4)	139 (30.5)	482 (28.6)
Middle school	99 (44.4)	138 (25.9)	142 (29.8)	165 (36.3)	544 (32.2)
High school	99 (44.4)	170 (32.0)	149 (31.2)	111 (24.4)	529 (31.4)
College and above	1 (0.4)	50 (9.4)	41 (8.6)	40 (8.8)	132 (7.8)
Occupational status of women or girls
Unskilled work	22 (9.9)	55 (10.3)	26 (5.5)	21 (4.6)	124 (7.4)
Semiskilled work	2 (0.9)	4 (0.8)	4 (0.8)	0 (0.0)	10 (0.6)
Skilled work	3 (1.3)	20 (3.8)	2 (0.4)	4 (0.9)	29 (1.7)
Housewife	14 (6.3)	442 (83.1)	439 (92)	422 (92.7)	1317 (78.1)
Student	182 (81.6)	11 (2.1)	6 (1.3)	8 (1.8)	207 (12.3)
Social class of family
Schedule tribe	4 (1.8)	14 (2.6)	12 (2.5)	8 (1.8)	38 (2.3)
Other backward classes	69 (30.9)	150 (28.2)	133 (27.9)	131 (29.8)	483 (28.6)
Schedule caste	100 (44.8)	272 (51.1)	250 (52.4)	228 (50.1)	850 (50.4)
General class	50 (22.4)	96 (18)	82 (17.2)	88 (19.3)	316 (18.7)
Socioeconomic status of women^∗∗^∗∗
Lower	8 (3.6)	13 (2.4)	20 (4.2)	11 (2.4)	52 (3.1)
Upper lower	162 (72.6)	399 (75.0)	348 (73.0)	316 (69.5)	1225 (72.6)
Lower middle	47 (21.1)	113 (21.2)	98 (20.5)	105 (23.1)	363 (21.5)
Upper middle	6 (2.7)	7 (1.3)	11 (2.3)	23 (5.1)	47 (2.8)
Family type
Nuclear	173 (77.6)	265 (49.8)	232 (48.6)	234 (51.4)	904 (53.6)
Extended or joint	50 (22.4)	267 (50.2)	245 (51.4)	221 (48.6)	783 (46.4)
Registered at Anganwadi (ICDS) centre
Yes	65 (29.1)	16 (3)	323 (67.7)	279 (61.3)	683 (40.5)
No	158 (70.8)	516 (97)	154 (32.3)	176 (38.7)	1004 (59.5)
Cooking fuel
Solid (cow dung or firewood)	71 (31.8)	211 (39.7)	182 (38.2)	162 (35.6)	626 (37.1)
Liquid (kerosene)	4 (1.8)	10 (1.9)	9 (1.9)	12 (2.6)	35 (2.1)
Gas (Biogas/LPG)	148 (66.4)	311 (58.5)	286 (60)	281 (61.8)	1026 (60.8)
Cooking utensils
Iron	11 (4.9)	35 (6.6)	31 (6.5)	29 (6.4)	106 (6.3)
Other metals (copper/aluminium)	107 (48.0)	248 (46.6)	228 (47.8)	221 (48.6)	804 (47.7)
Stainless steel	105 (47.1)	249 (46.8)	218 (45.7)	205 (45.1)	777 (46.1)
Receipt of iron-folic acid tablets
Yes	49 (21.9)	26 (4.8)	192 (40.2)	124 (27.2)	391 (23.1)
No	32 (14.3)	41 (7.7)	99 (20.7)	159 (34.9)	331 (19.6)
Missing	142 (63.6)	465 (87.4)	186 (38.9)	172 (37.8)	965 (57.2)
Receipt of supplementary food at ICDS
Received	34 (15.2)	NA	222 (46.5)	213 (46.8)	469 (40.6)
Not received	189 (84.8)	NA	255 (53.5)	242 (53.2)	686 (59.4)

ICDS, Integrated Child Development Service Scheme; LPG, liquefied petroleum gas; NA,ot applicable. Occupations: unskilled work included maids, servants, gatekeepers, cleaner, helper, sweeper farmer, etc.; semiskilled work includes drivers, waiters, etc.; skilled work includes technicians, electricians, tailors, cooks, etc. ^∗∗∗∗Significant differences were found using Kruskal–Wallis test in energy and all the nutrients ().