Table 4 Comparison of study participants with and without workplace exacerbation of asthma.
| Descriptive variables* | Workplace exacerbation of asthma | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (n = 136) | No (n = 462) | ||
| Race, % white | 96% | 94% | 0.44 |
| Ethnicity, % Hispanic | 7% | 6% | 0.91 |
| Gender, % male | 45% | 27% | <0.0001 |
| Age in years, mean (SEM) | 33.3 (0.7) | 32.6 (0.4) | 0.35 |
| Education, % college degree or more | 31% | 38% | 0.15 |
| Salary, % gross weekly income ⩾$550 | 47% | 53% | 0.32 |
| Cigarette smoking, % | 0.27 | ||
| Never | 53% | 61% | |
| Former | 26% | 21% | |
| Current | 21% | 18% | |
| Asthma onset before age 18 years, % | 58% | 62% | 0.45 |
| Asthma severity based on medical records, % | 0.32 | ||
| Mild intermittent | 28% | 31% | |
| Mild persistent | 27% | 31% | |
| Moderate or severe | 45% | 38% | |
| No of days bothered by asthma in past 7 days, mean (SEM) | 4.0 (0.2) | 3.1 (0.1) | 0.002 |
| No of treatments for acute asthma attacks in past 12 months, mean (SEM) | 1.4 (0.2) | 1.1 (0.1) | 0.15 |
| No of days missed work due to asthma in past 12 months, mean (SEM)† | 2.8 (0.7) | 1.9 (0.3) | 0.24 |
*There were missing values for several variables. Some participants refused to answer questions about their race (n = 2), Hispanic ethnicity (n = 2), and education (n = 1). For gross weekly salary, 446 provided answers, while the other 152 had no salary (for example, unemployed or student) or refused to answer.
†Limited to the 557 participants who were employed in the past 12 months.