Table 2.
Characteristics of the sample according to the number of siblings: 12 350 children from eight European countries participating in the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of dietary and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants) study
| Only child (n 2044) | 1 sibling (n 6789) | 2 siblings (n 2671) | >2 siblings (n 846) | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 95 % CI | Mean | 95 % CI | Mean | 95 % CI | Mean | 95 % CI | P for trend | |||||||||||||
| Age (years) | 7·6 | 7·5, 7·7 | 7·8a,b,d | 7·8, 7·9 | 8·0a | 7·9, 8·0 | 8·1a | 8·0, 8·2 | <0·001 | ||||||||||||
| Boys (%) | 50·2 | 49·8 | 48·6 | 51·2 | 0·427 | ||||||||||||||||
| Birth weight (g) | 3316 | 3290, 3342 | 3336 | 3323, 3350 | 3345 | 3322, 3367 | 3318 | 3277, 3359 | 0·322 | ||||||||||||
| Height (cm) | 128·4 | 127·8, 128·9 | 128·7 | 128·4, 129·0 | 129·1 | 128·6, 129·6 | 128·7 | 128·0, 129·6 | 0·275 | ||||||||||||
| Weight (kg) | 29·4 | 29·0, 29·8 | 29·0 | 28·8, 29·2 | 29·0 | 28·7, 29·4 | 28·7 | 28·1, 29·4 | 0·292 | ||||||||||||
| WC (cm) | 59·0 | 58·6, 59·4 | 58·5 | 58·3, 58·7 | 58·5 | 58·1, 58·8 | 58·4 | 57·8, 59·0 | 0·060 | ||||||||||||
| SST (mm) | 22·3 | 21·8, 22·8 | 20·9a,d | 20·7, 21·2 | 20·3a | 19·9, 20·7 | 19·7a | 19·0, 20·4 | <0·001 | ||||||||||||
| Ow/Ob (%) | 27·5 | 23·2 | 20·4 | 20·3 | <0·001 | ||||||||||||||||
| Home meal frequency (%) | 74·6 | 77·8 | 76·6 | 77·7 | <0·001 | ||||||||||||||||
| Practice of sport (%) | 60·1 | 61·0 | 57·5 | 48·3 | <0·001 | ||||||||||||||||
| Parental education | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Low (%) | 18·9 | 45·5 | 22·8 | 12·8 | <0·001 | ||||||||||||||||
| Medium (%) | 19·0 | 55·0 | 20·2 | 5·9 | <0·001 | ||||||||||||||||
| High (%) | 12·9 | 57·3 | 23·2 | 6·6 | <0·001 | ||||||||||||||||
| Parental overweight (%) | 74·8 | 72·5 | 74·3 | 77·4 | 0·014 | ||||||||||||||||
WC, waist circumference; SST, sum of skinfold thicknesses; Ow/Ob, overweight or obesity.
Data are presented as means and 95 % confidence intervals or frequency, as appropriate.
Multiple comparisons (one-way ANOVA (P for trend) with Bonferroni's post hoc correction): a P < 0·05 v. only child; b P < 0·05 v. 1 sibling; c P < 0·05 v. 2 siblings; d P < 0·05 v. >2 siblings.