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Table 3 Maternal, parental, perinatal, environmental health and medicinal factors

From: Incidence and risk factors for food hypersensitivity in UK infants: results from a birth cohort study

 

Participants with food hypersensitivity (n = 41)

Control participants (n = 82)

p value

Maternal atopy

36 (87.8 %)

52 (63.4 %)

0.002

Paternal atopy

23 (57.5 %)

50 (61.0 %)

0.844

Mean maternal pre-pregnancy weight, kg

65.9 (14.0)

64.0 (11.5)

0.558

Mean maternal pre-pregnancy height, cm

164.1 (5.9)

165.0 (6.6)

0.690

Median parity

0.0 (0.0–1.0)

0.0 (0.0–1.0)

0.729

Singleton pregnancy

40 (97.6 %)

82 (100.0 %)

0.333

Maternal smoking in pregnancy

1 (2.4 %)

3 (3.7 %)

1.000

Other household smoking in pregnancy

8 (19.5 %)

5 (6.1 %)

0.027

Aspirin/paracetamol during pregnancy

30 (81.1 %)

49 (69.0 %)

0.132

Any anti-inflammatory during pregnancy

4 (11.1 %)

7 (9.9 %)

0.542

Maternal antibiotics during pregnancy

9 (22.0 %)

19 (23.3 %)

0.286

Mode of delivery

 Normal

20 (51.3 %)

37 (45.7 %)

0.860

 Caesarean

13 (31.7 %)

20 (24.4 %)

 Forceps

3 (7.3 %)

12 (14.8 %)

Mean gestation, weeks

39.5 (1.7)

40.0 (1.4)

0.062

Mean birth weight, grams

3480 (470)

3370 (562)

0.913

Antibiotics in first week of age

0 (0.0 %)

0 (0.0 %)

1.000

Environmental

 Urban living Environment

8 (19.5 %)

11 (13.4 %)

0.601

 Live on a main road

3 (7.3 %)

5 (6.1 %)

0.535

 Cat at home

10 (24.4 %)

24 (29.3 %)

0.365

 Dog at home

13 (31.7 %)

12 (14.6 %)

0.026

 Mould in home

5 (12.2 %)

8 (9.8 %)

0.457

 Type of flooring where baby sleeps

  Carpet

37 (90.2 %)

72 (87.8 %)

0.757

  Wooden, laminate or parquet

4 (9.8 %)

9 (11.0 %)

  Linoleum or vinyl tiles

0 (0.0 %)

1 (1.2 %)

Type of mattress your baby sleeps on

  Foam

29 (70.7 %)

51 (62.2 %)

0.362

  Synthetic

10 (24.4 %)

22 (26.8 %)

  Other

2 (4.9 %)

9 (11.0 %)

 Cleaning kitchen work surfaces

  Non-bactericidal

12 (29.3 %)

27 (32.9 %)

0.396

  Bactericidal

27 (65.9 %)

50 (61.0 %)

  Neither

1 (2.4 %)

5 (6.1 %)

  Do not know

1 (2.4 %)

0 (0.0 %)

 Cleaning table where you eat

  Spray cleaner

26 (63.4 %)

38 (46.3 %)

0.131

  Soap and Water

10 (24.4 %)

19 (23.2 %)

  Just water

2 (4.9 %)

6 (7.3 %)

  None of these

3 (7.3 %)

19 (23.2 %)

 Pacifier/dummy

  Latex

5 (12.2 %)

8 (9.8 %)

0.202

  Silicon

21 (51.2 %)

32 (39.0 %)

 Attendance at day care or a nursery

13 (31.7 %)

19 (23.2 %)

0.246

 Mean age when started day care or a nursery, months

7.3 (2.19)

8.74 (3.74)

0.269

Health

 Upper respiratory infection

  None

9 (23.7 %)

21 (27.6 %)

0.856

  Occasionally

20 (52.6 %)

36 (47.4 %)

  Often

9 (23.7 %)

19 (25.0 %)

 Lower respiratory infection

  None

34 (89.5 %)

71 (93.4 %)

0.462

  Occasionally

4 (10.5 %)

4 (5.3 %)

  Often

0 (0.0 %)

1 (1.3 %)

 Wheeze with upper respiratory infection

  None

24 (63.2 %)

59 (77.6 %)

0.195

  Occasionally

11 (28.9 %)

15 (19.7 %)

  Often

3 (7.9 %)

2 (2.6 %)

 Bronchiolitis (bronchitis)

  None

36 (94.7 %)

75 (98.7 %)

0.106

  Occasionally

2 (5.3 %)

1 (1.3 %)

  Often

0 (0.0 %)

0 (0.0 %)

 Middle ear infection

  None

32 (84.2 %)

70 (92.1 %)

0.165

  Occasionally

6 (15.8 %)

6 (7.9 %)

  Often

0 (0.0 %)

0 (0 %)

 Gastrointestinal illness

  None

30 (78.9 %)

69 (90.8 %)

0.125

  Occasionally

7 (18.4 %)

7 (9.2 %)

  Often

1 (2.6 %)

0 (0.0 %)

Medication

 Median number of antibiotics in last 12 months

1 (0–2)

0.5 (0–1)

0.341

 Mean age when first received antibiotics, months

8.65 (7.04)

8.44 (6.59)

0.964

 Received aspirin

1 (2.6 %)

0 (0.0 %)

0.333

 Received paracetamol

38 (100.0 %)

74 (97.4 %)

0.442

 Received anti-inflammatories (e.g. Ibuprofen, Nurofen)

29 (76.3 %)

51 (67.1 %)

0.214

 Received anti-reflux medication

11 (28.9 %)

10 (13.2 %)

0.039

 Received any vaccinations

37 (97.4 %)

73 (96.0 %)

0.565

 Received any skin creams, lotions or powders

33 (86.8 %)

55 (72.4 %)

0.079

  1. Figures are numbers (%) in each group, means (SD) or medians (25th, 75th centiles) unless specified. P values relate to a comparison between cases and control; they represent a Chi squared test for categorical data, Mann–Whitney U test for non-parametric data and two sample t test for parametric data. All data was not available for all participants. Maternal atopy defined as any of maternal asthma, eczema, rhinitis or food allergy