General characteristics of the study children by influenza diagnosis
| Influenza diagnosis | ||
|---|---|---|
| Positive (n = 352) | Negative (n = 3419) | |
| *p<0.0001 v influenza negative children; no other statistically significant differences. | ||
| †5–6 days/week, 6–8 hours/day. | ||
| RTIs, respiratory tract infections. | ||
| Gender, male (%) | 185 (52.5) | 1740 (50.9) |
| Median age (interquartile range), years | 3.20 (2.00–8.50)* | 2.50 (1.40–7.40) |
| Vaccinated against influenza (%) | 7 (2.0) | 100 (2.9) |
| Mean family size | 3.60 | 3.67 |
| No. of household contacts (total) | 915 | 9128 |
| No. of parents (total) | 704 | 6838 |
| No. of siblings (total) | 211 | 2290 |
| Working mothers (%) | 310/352 (88.1) | 2940/3419 (85.9) |
| Working fathers (%) | 352/352 (100.0) | 3419/3419 (100.0) |
| Household contacts vaccinated against influenza (%) | 44/915 (4.8) | 543/9128 (5.9) |
| Mean number of rooms in the home | 3.05 | 3.19 |
| Exposure to passive smoking (%) | 119 (33.8) | 1122 (32.8) |
| Full time child care attendance† (%) | 310 (88.1) | 2906 (85.0) |
| Mean (SD) number of RTIs in the previous 6 months | 1.43 (1.71) | 1.64 (1.86) |
| Mean (SD) number of antibiotic courses in the previous 6 months | 0.58 (0.98) | 0.68 (1.23) |
| Mean (SD) number of hospitalisations in the previous 3 months | 0.02 (0.16) | 0.03 (0.17) |