Table 1. Descriptive characteristics of study participants.
| Characteristic |
Total
(n = 313) |
Females
(n = 264) |
Males
(n = 49) |
p-value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, median (range) | 20 (17-42) | 20 (17-42) | 20 (18-33) | |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 43 (13.7) | 27 (10.2) | 16 (32.7) | 0.0002 |
| Childhood on farm with animals, n (%) | 40 (12.8) | 34 (12.9) | 6 (12.2) | > 0.9999 |
| Animal-related education before the veterinary study#, n (%) | 80 (25.6) | 64 (24.2) | 16 (32.7) | 0.2166 |
| Allergic disease** (any), | 124 (39.6) | 106 (40.2) | 18 (36.7) | 0.7510 |
| Asthma, n (%) | 33 (10.5) | 27 (10.2) | 6 (12.2) | 0.6187 |
| Rhinitis, n (%) | 53 (16.9) | 44 (16.7) | 9 (18.4) | 0.8356 |
| Neurodermatitis, n (%) | 44 (14.1) | 40 (15.2) | 4 (8.2) | 0.2639 |
| Contact dermatitis, n (%) | 10 (3.2) | 9 (3.4) | 1 (2.0) | > 0.9999 |
| Urticaria, n (%) | 16 (5.1) | 14 (5.3) | 2 (4.1) | > 0.9999 |
| Food allergy, n (%) | 30 (9.6) | 28 (10.6) | 2 (4.1) | 0.1929 |
| Insect allergy, n (%) | 9 (2.9) | 8 (3.0) | 1 (2.0) | > 0.9999 |
| Allergic symptoms to animals*** (any) | 30 (9.6) | 24 (9.1) | 6 (12.2) | 0.4391 |
| Cat, n (%) | 23 (7.3) | 20 (7.6) | 3 (6.1) | > 0.9999 |
| Dog, n (%) | 7 (2.2) | 5 (1.9) | 2 (4.1) | 0.3015 |
| Horse, n (%) | 7 (2.2) | 5 (1.9) | 2 (4.1) | 0.3015 |
| Small mammals#, n (%) | 6 (1.9) | 5 (1.9) | 1 (2.0) | > 0.9999 |
| Others (birds), n (%) | 3 (1.0) | 2 (0.8) | 1 (2.0) | 0.4010 |
| Previous contact to animals (any) | 313 (100) | |||
| Cat, n (%) | 280 (89.5) | 239 (90.5) | 41 (83.7) | 0.2010 |
| Dog, n (%) | 285 (91.1) | 242 (91.7) | 43 (87.8) | 0.4118 |
| Horse, n (%) | 226 (72.2) | 207 (78.4) | 19 (38.8) | < 0.0001 |
| Small mammals&, n (%) | 275 (87.9) | 238 (90.2) | 37 (75.5) | 0.0077 |
| Others (non-mammals)§, n (%) | 210 (67.1) | 175 (66.3) | 35 (71.4) | 0.5133 |
| Farm animals$, n (%) | 164 (52.4) | 136 (51.5) | 28 (57.1) | 0.5344 |
| Current pet ownership (any) | 115 (36.7) | 99 (37.5) | 16 (32.7) | 0.6288 |
| Cat, n (%) | 51 (16.3) | 49 (18.6) | 2 (4.1) | 0.0103 |
| Dog, n (%) | 63 (20.1) | 54 (20.5) | 9 (18.4) | 0.8475 |
| Small mammals&, n (%) | 28 (8.9) | 26 (9.8) | 2 (4.1) | 0.2773 |
| Others (non-mammals)§, n (%) | 27 (8.6) | 20 (7.6) | 7 (14.3) | 0.1606 |
*Females vs. males, Fisher’s exact test; **doctor’s diagnosis; ***self-reported symptoms; #veterinary technicians, animal caretaker, farmer, biologist, veterinary technical assistant, animal healer, hoof orthopedist, equine ostheopath, butcher; &rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, mouse, rat, chinchilla, ferret, degus, marten, hedgehog; §birds (incl. poultry), fish, reptiles; $cattle, pig, goat, sheep. Bold = significantly different frequencies.