Table 4

Risk factors for atopic and non-atopic wheeze

Risk factorsHealthy n=2.927Children with wheeze
Skin test reactivity n=56Non-skin test reactivity n=334
n (%)n (%)OR (95% CI)n (%)OR (95% CI)p Value*
Demographic and socieconomic factors
Sex
 Female1449 (88.3)18 (1.1)1.0174 (10.6)1.0
 Male1478 (88.2)38 (2.3)2.73 (1.44 to 5.16)160 (9.5)0.91 (0.71 to 1.16)0.004
Age, years
 6–91153 (85.6)18 (1.3)1.0176 (13.1)1.0
 10–121022 (88.9)23 (2.0)1.34 (0.70 to 2.57)105 (9.1)0.56 (0.42 to 0.74)0.019
 13–16752 (91.7)15 (1.8)0.95 (0.40 to 2.28)53 (6.5)0.39 (0.25 to 0.62)0.082
Family income
 >US$150 dollars520 (85.5)9 (1.5)1.079 (13.0)1.0
 ≤US$1502367 (88.8)47 (1.8)1.29 (0.71 to 2.36)251 (9.4)0.78 (0.60 to 1.01)0.112
Maternal education level
 Complete secondary or higher220 (83.6)7 (2.7)1.036 (13.7)1.0
 Complete primary or incomplete secondary1044 (89.3)16 (1.4)0.33 (0.09 to 1.23)104 (9.3)0.75 (0.47 to 1.18)0.256
 Illiterate or incomplete primary1635 (87.9)33 (1.8)0.53 (0.11 to 2.65)191 (10.3)0.80 (0.49 to 1.30)0.626
Environmental factors
Charcoal for cooking
 No2685 (88.2)47 (1.5)1.0314 (10.3)1.0
 Yes235 (89.0)9 (3.4)2.22 (0.74 to 6.61)20 (7.6)0.79 (0.46 to 1.35)0.068
River water
 No852 (86.4)12 (1.2)1.0122 (12.4)1.0
 Yes2075 (89.0)44 (1.9)1.22 (0.61 to 2.46)212 (9.1)0.80 (0.55 to 1.16)0.263
Excreta disposal
 Toilet or latrine1835 (89.2)34 (1.6)1.0189 (9.2)1.0
 Open field1091 (86.8)22 (1.7)1.16 (0.57 to 2.38)144 (11.5)1.31 (0.94 to 1.83)0.752
Cat inside house presently
 No1905 (88.4)32 (1.5)1.0219 (10.1)1.0
 Yes1020 (88.1)24 (2.1)1.50 (0.86 to 2.63)114 (9.8)0.76 (0.56 to 1.02)0.011
Cat inside house ever
 No1656 (89.3)28 (1.5)1.0171 (9.2)1.0
 Yes1.269 (87.1)28 (1.9)1.45 (0.85 to 2.46)160 (11.0)1.25 (0.94 to 1.66)0.631
Pig around house presently
 No1457 (87.5)27 (1.6)1.0181 (10.9)1.0
 Yes1466 (89.0)29 (1.8)1.22 (0.71 to 2.12)152 (9.2)0.87 (0.65 to 1.17)0.281
Contact with animals on farms
 No2041 (88.4)33 (1.4)1.0235 (10.2)1.0
 Yes883 (87.9)23 (2.3)1.04 (0.60 to 1.81)98 (9.8)1.01 (0.74 to 1.39)0.925
Maternal- and family-related factors
Birth order
 1st–3rd1597 (86.9)33 (1.8)1.0207 (11.3)1.0
 ≥4th1330 (89.9)23 (1.6)0.61 (0.29 to 1.28)126 (8.5)0.71 (0.57 to 0.88)0.703
Day care
 No1490 (88.0)32 (1.9)1.0172 (10.1)1.0
 <1 year old383 (91.0)4 (0.9)0.66 (0.20 to 2.19)34 (8.1)0.81 (0.55 to 1.19)0.731
 ≥1 year old979 (87.4)18 (1.6)1.04 (0.52 to 2.09)123 (11.0)1.08 (0.85 to 1.38)0.911
Mother smokes presently
 No2488 (88.4)44 (1.6)1.0283 (10.0)1.0
 Yes413 (87.3)12 (2.5)1.10 (0.39 to 3.12)48 (10.2)1.46 (0.83 to 2.56)0.648
Mother smoked in pregnancy
 No2555 (88.3)44 (1.5)1.0295 (10.2)1.0
 Yes333 (87.6)11 (2.9)2.18 (0.63 to 7.48)36 (9.5)0.94 (0.53 to 1.67)0.195
Maternal allergic diseases
 No1842 (92.4)29 (1.5)1.0122 (6.1)1.0
 Yes1016 (81.6)24 (1.9)1.64 (0.78 to 3.42)206 (16.5)3.24 (2.42 to 4.32)0.055
Sedentarism
Frequency of watching television
 Never or sometimes809 (89.2)17 (1.9)1.081 (8.9)1.0
 1–3 h/day1653 (88.3)32 (1.7)0.97 (0.56 to 1.65)188 (10.0)1.20 (0.85 to 1.68)0.421
 >3 h/day459 (86.5)7 (1.3)0.86 (0.32 to 2.30)65 (12.2)1.51 (1.06 to 2.16)0.294
Frequency of exercise
 Daily2209 (89.0)42 (1.7)1.0232 (9.3)1.0
 3 times a week349 (86.8)7 (1.7)0.94 (0.40 to 2.20)46 (11.5)1.23 (0.82 to 1.83)0.562
 Once a week or less363 (85.8)5 (1.2)0.95 (0.36 to 2.48)55 (13.0)1.32 (0.81 to 2.14)0.471
Geohelminth infections
Intensity of T trichiura, median
 Negative1301 (88.3)36 (2.5)1.0136 (9.2)1.0
 ≤490 epg803 (88.2)14 (1.5)0.49 (0.24 to 1.01)93 (10.3)1.00 (0.74 to 1.35)0.072
 >490 epg746 (88.5)5 (0.6)0.24 (0.09 to 0.63)92 (10.9)1.00 (0.70 to 1.43)0.010
  • Only the factors which had a significant effect (p<0.20) in the univariate analysis for at least one of two outcomes are shown.

  • The OR and 95% CIs were calculated using a polytomous logistic regression model.

  • epg, eggs per gram.

  • * p Value for the test comparing the ORs for atopic and non-atopic wheeze.