Cross sectional association between selected child or parental characteristics and asthma or hay fever
| Child or parental characteristic | Prevalence of asthma among those with factor | Prevalence of asthma among those without factor | OR (95% CI) for asthma | Prevalence of hay fever among those with factor | Prevalence of hay fever among those without factor | OR (95% CI) for hay fever |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History of bronchitis | 48.6% (662/1361) | 21.1% (976/4626) | 3.54 (3.12, 4.02) | 31.0% (425/1369) | 16.1% (744/4626) | 2.35 (2.04, 2.70) |
| History of pneumonia | 53.6% (221/412) | 25.4% (1418/5575) | 3.39 (2.77, 4.15) | 31.0% (129/416) | 18.7% (1041/5580) | 1.96 (1.58, 2.44) |
| History of frequent ear infection (more than two per year) | 39.5% (590/1494) | 23.4% (1052/4497) | 2.14 (1.89, 2.42) | 28.5% (430/1508) | 16.5% (740/4492) | 2.02 (1.76, 2.32) |
| Father in full time employment | 26.1% (1086/4163) | 29.2% (563/1926) | 0.85 (0.64, 0.96) | 19.3% (804/4172) | 19.7% (379/1926) | 0.97 (0.85, 1.12) |
| Low maternal education (< 12 years) | 29.6% (1047/3538) | 23.9% (594/2483) | 1.34 (1.19, 1.50) | 20.4% (721/3540) | 18.0% (448/2491) | 1.17 (1.02, 1.33) |
| Maternal active smoking in 1995 | 31.9% (596/1868) | 25.0% (1059/4234) | 1.41 (1.25, 1.58) | 19.0% (355/1869) | 19.7% (835/4243) | 0.96 (0.83, 1.10) |
| Other household resident smoking in 1995 | 28.5% (515/1810) | 26.2% (1065/4068) | 1.12 (0.99, 1.27) | 18.7% (339/1809) | 19.6% 801/4078) | 0.94 (0.82, 1.09) |
| Any breast feeding | 26.0% (1219/4692) | 31.0% (447/1444) | 0.78 (0.69, 0.89) | 19.2% (900/4697) | 20.1% (291/1448) | 0.94 (0.81, 1.09) |
| Regular child care at age 0 | 32.3% (181/561) | 26.3% (1111/4222) | 1.33 (1.10, 1.61) | 19.7% (110/559) | 19.0% (805/4230) | 1.04 (0.83, 1.30) |
| Regular child care at age 1 | 29.9% (274/918) | 26.0% (1011/3901) | 1.22 (1.04, 1.43) | 18.8% (172/917) | 19.0% (744/3999) | 0.98 (0.82, 1.18) |
| Regular child care at age 2 | 31.4% (433/1380) | 25.6% (943/3680) | 1.33 (1.16, 1.52) | 19.0% (263/1382) | 19.4% (715/3690) | 0.98 (0.84, 1.14) |
| Regular child care at age 3 | 29.8% (565/1897) | 25.6% (859/3358) | 1.23 (1.09, 1.40) | 20.0% (378/1894) | 19.2% (647/3367) | 1.05 (0.91, 1.21) |
| Regular child care at age 4 | 29% (591/2034) | 25.8% (817/3171) | 1.18 (1.04, 1.34) | 19.3% (392/2033) | 19.4% (617/3177) | 0.99 (0.86, 1.14) |
| Male sex | 31.2% (970/3111) | 23.0% (700/3047) | 1.52 (1.36, 1.70) | 21.0% (655/3114) | 17.7% (540/3052) | 1.24 (1.09, 1.41) |
| Family history of asthma (among grandparents, parents, and siblings) | 40.0% (1217/3045) | 14.2% (424/2987) | 4.02 (3.55, 4.56) | 25.5% (778/3051) | 13.1% (390/2988) | 2.28 (1.99, 2.61) |
| Mother has a history of asthma or wheezy breathing | 46.3% (612/1323) | 21.8% (1030/4728) | 3.09 (2.72, 3.51) | 32.2% (426/1324) | 15.7% (742/4735) | 2.55 (2.22, 2.93) |
| Father has a history of asthma or wheezy breathing | 44.0% (470/1068) | 23.1% (1101/4760) | 2.61 (2.27, 3.00) | 29.3% (314/1071) | 16.8% (803/4767) | 2.05 (1.76, 2.38) |
| Prematurity (< 37 weeks’ gestation) | 37.2% (152/409) | 26.3% (1504/5710) | 1.65 (1.34, 2.04) | 22.3% (93/418) | 19.1% (1093/5710) | 1.21 (0.95, 1.54) |
| Maternal age (per year) | – | – | 0.96 (0.95, 0.97) | – | – | 1.00 (0.99, 1.02) |
| Number of residents per household in 1995 (per resident) | – | – | 0.89 (0.85, 0.94) | – | – | 0.89 (0.85, 0.94) |