Table 1

General characteristics of the study population

Dutch (n=3490)Non-Dutch (n=131)p value
Mother ever asthma (%) 7.2 6.2 0.4
Atopic mother (%)29.435.1 0.2
Father ever asthma (%) 7.8 6.3 0.7
Atopic father (%)30.329.2 0.8
Sibling ever asthma (%) 4.2 3.2 0.8
Allergic sibling (%)25.728.1 0.6
Gender male (%)51.850.4 0.8
Smoking during pregnancy (%)18.622.4 0.5
Smoke exposure in the home at age 1 (%)26.938.7 0.02
Premature birth (<37 weeks of gestation) (%) 4.8 7.3 0.4
Mean birth weight (kg, SD) 3.519 (0.542) 3.271 (0.567)<0.001
Mean weight at age 1 (kg, SD) 9.8 (1.1) 9.7 (1.3) 0.2
Exclusive formula feeding at 3 months (%)52.750.4 0.7
At least one sibling (%)51.746.4 0.3
Day care at age 1 (%)65.561.7 0.7
Crowding (<1.25 room/person) (%)41.053.2 0.007
Exposure to pets (%)52.725.4<0.001
Living in apartment (%) 5.627.8<0.001
Damp or mould spots in the home (%)13.623.3 0.009
Carpet floor bedroom child (%)56.451.6 0.3
Carpet floor bedroom parents (%)70.164.7 0.2
Mechanical ventilation in the home (%)54.267.5 0.003
Mean age mother of the child (years, SD)30.5 (3.7)28.8 (4.9)<0.001
Mean age father of the child (years, SD)32.8 (4.5)32.0 (5.3) 0.1
Groningen (%)32.811.5<0.001
Utrecht (%)40.532.8
Rotterdam (%)26.655.7
Mother low level of education (%)12.621.4 0.01
Father low level of education (%)19.322.0 0.5
Mother unemployed (%)33.941.2 0.1
Father unemployed (%) 2.415.5<0.001
Natural history study (%)82.580.9 0.5
Intervention study active (%) 9.5 8.4
Intervention study placebo (%)8.410.7