Table 2.
Factors associated with homeopathic product use in pre-school children
| Unadjusted homeopathic product use | Adjusted OR | ||||
| Factor (survey time-point) | Categories | Yes | No | P value | |
| Maternal education (54 months) | CSE or less | 29 (1.9%) | 1495 (98.1%) | p < 0.0001 | 1.0 |
| Vocational | 18 (2.1%) | 842 (97.9%) | 1.04 (0.53, 2.03) | ||
| School O level | 133 (4%) | 3223 (96.0%) | 1.65 (1.03, 2.64) | ||
| A level | 222 (9.7%) | 2070 (90.3%) | 3.63 (2.28, 5.78) | ||
| Degree | 158 (11.6%) | 1209 (88.4%) | 3.56 (2.20, 5.76) | ||
| Maternal age (54 months) | < 19 | 5 (1.9%) | 263 (98.1%) | p < 0.0001 | |
| 20–24 | 48 (3.2%) | 1449 (96.8%) | |||
| 25–29 | 188 (4.9%) | 3688 (95.1%) | |||
| 30–34 | 220 (7.3%) | 2803 (92.7%) | |||
| 35+ | 118 (11.1%) | 943 (88.9%) | |||
| Housing tenure (54 months) | Owner/occupied | 455 (6.4%) | 6612 (93.6%) | p < 0.0001 | 1.0 |
| Council/Housing | 29 (2.7%) | 1062 (97.3%) | 0.94 (0.61, 1.45) | ||
| Assoc | 53 (9.9%) | 485 (90.1%) | 1.71 (1.21, 2.40) | ||
| other | |||||
| Family income per wk (54 months) | <£ 100 | 26 (4.4%) | 560 (95.6%) | p < 0.0001 | * |
| £ 100–£ 199 | 55 (4.6%) | 1151 (95.4%) | |||
| £ 200–£ 299 | 103 (4.9%) | 2004 (95.1%) | |||
| £ 300–£ 399 | 115 (6.4%) | 1690 (93.6%) | |||
| £ 400+ | 192 (8.4%) | 2105 (91.6%) | |||
| Maternal smoking cigarettes per day (47 months) | None | 427 (6.3%) | 6327 (93.7%) | p < 0.0001 | * |
| 1–9 | 52 (9.7%) | 482 (90.3%) | |||
| 10+ | 50 (3.7%) | 1311 (96.3%) | |||
| Maternal anxiety (47 months) | Yes | 156 (7.4%) | 1956 (92.6%) | p = 0.004 | * |
| No | 384 (5.7%) | 6366 (94.3%) | |||
| Child's fruit/veg consumption score (54 months) | 1 | 22 (4.5%) | 472 (95.5%) | p = 0.006 | * |
| 2 | 69 (4.5%) | 1450 (95.5%) | |||
| 3 | 188 (5.9%) | 3011 (94.1%) | |||
| 4 | 284 (6.8%) | 3905 (93.2%) | |||
| Hrs spent watching tv daily (54 months) | <1 | 214 (8.9%) | 2178 (91.1%) | p < 0.0001 | * |
| 1–2 | 230 (5.9%) | 3688 (94.1%) | |||
| 2+ | 115 (3.7%) | 2958 (96.3%) | |||
| Child had vitamins since 3 years of age (54 months) | Yes | 364 (10.5%) | 3119 (89.5%) | p < 0.0001 | 2.55 (2.09, 3.11) |
| No | 215 (3.5%) | 5993 (96.5%) | |||
| Child's general health (42 months) | Very healthy | 246 (4.7%) | 8143 (95.3%) | p < 0.0001 | * |
| Sometimes ill/never well | 290 (7.8%) | 272 (92.2%) | |||
| Food allergies (42 months) | Yes | 83 (12%) | 607 (88.0%) | p < 0.0001 | 2.07 (1.55, 2.76) |
| No | 496 (5.5%) | 8539 (94.5%) | |||
| Wheeze (42 months) | Yes | 111 (8%) | 1283 (92.0%) | p = 0.001 | 1.32 (1.03, 1.71) |
| No | 430 (5.6%) | 7212 (94.4%) | |||
| Earache (42 months) | Yes | 198 (7%) | 2620 (93.0%) | p = 0.005 | * |
| No | 343 (5.5%) | 5875 (94.5%) | |||
| High temperature (42 months) | Yes | 364 (6.4%) | 5349 (93.6%) | p = 0.044 | * |
| No | 177 (5.3%) | 3146 (94.7%) | |||
| Dry itchy rash in joints (42 months) | Yes | 154 (7.5%) | 1893 (92.5%) | p = 0.001 | * |
| No | 382 (5.5%) | 6544 (94.5%) | |||
| Mum has no confidence in doctors (54 months) | Feels exactly/often feels | 57 (8.6%) | 606 (91.4%) | p < 0.0001 | 1.54 (1.26, 1.89) |
| Sometimes feels | 233 (7.8%) | 2740 (92.2%) | 1.81 (1.30, 2.45) | ||
| Never feels | 237 (4.7%) | 4781 (95.3%) | 1.00 | ||
| Mum contacts GP when child ill (54 months) | Always | 48 (3.1%) | 1503 (96.9%) | p < 0.0001 | 1.00 |
| Usually | 155 (5.3%) | 2785 (94.7%) | 1.41 (0.98, 2.04) | ||
| Sometimes | 320 (7.7%) | 3833 (92.3%) | 1.87 (1.32, 2.65) | ||
| Never | 12 (8.1%) | 136 (91.9%) | 1.64 (0.73, 3.69) | ||
| Maternal use of homeopathic products (18 weeks antenatal) | Yes | 82 (16.0%) | 430 (84.0%) | p < 0.0001 | 4.72 (3.45, 6.44) |
| No | 217 (2.4%) | 8996 (97.6%) | |||
* = factor not included in final model as p > 0.05