Baseline characteristics
| Feather bedding (N=97) | Standard care (N=100) | |
|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | % (n/N) | % (n/N) |
| Female | 42.3 (41/97) | 32.0 (32/100) |
| Study site (ACT vs NSW) | 34.0 (33/97) | 34.0 (34/100) |
| Age (years) | ||
| 7 | 8.6 (18/97) | 12.0 (12/100) |
| 8 | 8.2 (8/97) | 18.0 (18/100) |
| 9 | 19.6 (19/97) | 17.0 (17/100) |
| 10 | 12.4 (12/97) | 18.0 (18/100) |
| 11 | 24.7 (24/97) | 19.0 (19/100) |
| 12 | 13.4 (13/97) | 12.0 (12/100) |
| 13 | 2.1 (2/97) | 4.0 (4/100) |
| 14 | 1.0 (1/97) | 0.0 (0/100) |
| Hospital attendance because of asthma | 87 (89.7) | 88 (88.0) |
| Problem with sneezing, runny or blocked nose | 77 (79.4) | 86 (86.0) |
| Wheezing in past 12 months | ||
| 1–3 | 6 (6.2) | 4 (4.0) |
| 4–12 | 47 (48.5) | 55 (55.0) |
| More than 12 | 44 (45.4) | 41 (41.0) |
| Sleep disturbed by wheezing in past 12 months | ||
| None | 15 (15.6) | 17 (17.0) |
| Less than 1 night per week | 54 (56.3) | 57 (57.0) |
| One or more nights per week | 27 (28.1) | 26 (26.0) |
| Speech-limiting wheeze | 48 (49.5) | 42 (42.0) |
| Medication | ||
| Preventers | 92.8 (90/97) | 89.0 (89/100) |
| ICS | 53.6 (52/97) | 54.0 (54/100) |
| ICS+ | 43.3 (42/97) | 41.0 (41/100) |
| Relievers | 100.0 (97/97) | 100.0 (100/100) |
| Controllers | 16.0 (15/97) | 11.6 (11/100) |
| Controllers (tablets) | 14.0 (13/97) | 8.7 (8/100) |
| Oral steroids | 67.0 (65/97) | 69.0 (69/100) |
| Skin prick test (number sensitised) | ||
| Standardised cat pelt | 24 (24.8) | 28 (28.6) |
| Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus | 93 (95.9) | 96 (98.0) |
| Dermatophagoides farinae | 85 (87.6) | 85 (86.7) |
| Either house dust mite species | 97 (100) | 100 (100) |
| Control | 3 (3.1) | 2 (2.0) |
| Histamine | 90 (93.8) | 94 (95.9) |
| Rye grass | 45 (46.4) | 46 (46.9) |
| Plantain, English | 27 (27.8) | 24 (24.5) |
| Smoker in household | 25 (25.8) | 30 (30.0) |
| Number sleeping in child's room | ||
| Child only | 66 (68.0) | 69 (69.0) |
| Two children | 25 (25.8) | 28 (28.0) |
| Three children | 6 (6.2) | 3 (3.0) |
| Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | |
| Age | 10.2 (.79) | 10.2 (1.69) |
| Age of asthma onset | 2.4 (1.79) | 2.4 (2.04) |
| Baseline FEV1/FVC (% predicted) | 84 (0.10) | 83 (0.09) |
Notes: no differences in significance for any characteristic between arms at p<0.05.
ACT, Australian Capital Territory; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced volume vital capacity; ICS, inhaled corticosteroids; NSW, New South Wales.