Table 2.
Associations between actions taken for all symptoms in the last two weeks and participant characteristics and number of symptoms (unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios)
| Participant characteristics and number of symptoms | Looked for information | Discussed with friends/family | Took OTC medicines | Phoned NHS 24/NHS Direct | Consulted nurse | Consulted pharmacist | Consulted comp therapist | Consulted GP | Took prescribed medicines | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UOR | AOR | UOR | AOR | UOR | AOR | UOR | AOR | UOR | AOR | UOR | AOR | UOR | AOR | UOR | AOR | UOR | AOR | |
| Gender | ||||||||||||||||||
| Men † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Women | 0.80 | 0.75 | 1.23 | 1.11 | 1.63 | 1.46 | 0.73 | 0.64 | 1.82 | 1.44 | 1.51 | 1.36 | 2.79 | 2.71 | 1.25 | 1.22 | 1.29 | 1.40 |
| Age | ||||||||||||||||||
| 18-24 † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 25-34 yrs | 0.86 | 0.82 | 0.60 | 0.67 | 1.63 | 1.66 | 0.87 | 1.56 | 0.28 | 0.40 | 0.51 | 0.79 | 0.69 | 0.64 | 0.70 | 0.54 | 1.35 | 1.13 |
| 35-44 yrs | 0.98 | 1.04 | 0.50 | 0.62 | 1.29 | 1.44 | 1.01 | 1.26 | 0.84 | 0.88 | 0.63 | 1.12 | 1.37 | 1.57 | 0.89 | 0.64 | 1.08 | 0.73 |
| 45-54 yrs | 0.86 | 0.98 | 0.43 | 0.57 | 1.15 | 1.44 | 0.97 | 0.82 | 0.80 | 0.77 | 0.41 | 0.58 | 1.93 | 2.19 | 1.06 | 0.68 | 1.99 | 1.15 |
| 55-60 yrs | 1.37 | 1.23 | 0.32 | 0.39 | 1.04 | 1.26 | 0.62 | 0.42 | 0.62 | 0.19 | 0.36 | 0.39 | 1.89 | 2.19 | 1.22 | 0.60 | 2.50 | 1.20 |
| Marital status | ||||||||||||||||||
| Single † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Married/living together | 0.94 | 0.77 | 0.73 | 1.35 | 1.05 | 1.04 | 0.79 | 1.58 | 0.81 | 2.96 | 0.72 | 1.36 | 1.19 | 0.82 | 1.15 | 1.48 | 1.17 | 1.31 |
| No longer married | 0.99 | 0.87 | 0.76 | 1.23 | 1.14 | 0.97 | 1.43 | 2.31 | 1.93 | 2.99 | 0.95 | 1.47 | 1.97 | 1.04 | 2.75 | 2.80 | 1.48 | 0.71 |
| Social support | ||||||||||||||||||
| Low † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Medium | 1.81 | 2.52 | 0.73 | 0.74 | 1.42 | 1.45 | 0.37 | 0.35 | 0.33 | 0.31 | 0.67 | 0.67 | 0.95 | 0.83 | 0.61 | 0.59 | 0.57 | 0.91 |
| High | 1.54 | 1.94 | 0.88 | 0.89 | 1.30 | 1.25 | 0.11 | 0.10 | 0.26 | 0.27 | 1.03 | 1.15 | 0.85 | 0.76 | 0.61 | 0.76 | 0.49 | 0.93 |
| Education | ||||||||||||||||||
| No qualifications † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Secondary school | 1.06 | 1.39 | 1.56 | 1.91 | 1.47 | 1.50 | 1.45 | 3.23 | 0.96 | 1.31 | 0.88 | 0.67 | 1.55 | 3.01 | 0.70 | 1.03 | 0.48 | 0.92 |
| Higher education | 1.31 | 1.56 | 1.60 | 2.10 | 1.31 | 1.43 | 0.70 | 1.65 | 0.58 | 1.16 | 0.52 | 0.38 | 1.51 | 3.04 | 0.46 | 0.69 | 0.36 | 0.77 |
| Housing | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owned/mortgaged † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Privately rented and other | 0.63 | 0.61 | 1.20 | 0.92 | 0.93 | 0.84 | 1.06 | 0.55 | 1.19 | 0.32 | 1.37 | 1.01 | 1.08 | 1.55 | 0.94 | 0.59 | 0.95 | 0.73 |
| Council/housing assoc. | 0.56 | 0.56 | 1.25 | 1.11 | 0.83 | 0.73 | 2.32 | 1.79 | 0.42 | - | 2.26 | 1.58 | 1.02 | 1.40 | 1.52 | 0.80 | 1.55 | 0.61 |
| Employment | ||||||||||||||||||
| Full-time † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Part-time | 1.00 | 0.79 | 0.85 | 0.84 | 1.12 | 0.95 | 0.61 | 1.06 | 0.69 | 0.29 | 1.34 | 1.26 | 1.68 | 1.40 | 1.00 | 0.81 | 1.21 | 0.99 |
| Self-employed | 1.01 | 0.98 | 0.72 | 0.78 | 0.85 | 0.75 | 0.70 | 1.07 | 1.06 | 0.85 | 1.32 | 1.25 | 1.62 | 1.78 | 0.57 | 0.55 | 0.80 | 0.56 |
| Not working due to illness | 1.00 | 0.68 | 0.98 | 0.56 | 0.59 | 0.41 | 2.18 | 0.86 | 3.33 | 0.90 | 2.08 | 1.27 | 1.54 | 1.25 | 3.21 | 1.40 | 11.16 | 5.63 |
| Others not in employment | 0.91 | 0.86 | 1.39 | 1.29 | 0.99 | 0.87 | 1.99 | 2.00 | 2.78 | 1.85 | 1.78 | 1.25 | 1.71 | 1.36 | 0.86 | 0.65 | 1.19 | 0.79 |
| Income | ||||||||||||||||||
| <£15,000 † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| £15,000-29,999 | 0.91 | 0.75 | 0.79 | 0.74 | 0.97 | 0.78 | 0.54 | 0.67 | 0.43 | 0.28 | 0.49 | 0.64 | 0.95 | 1.07 | 0.69 | 0.83 | 0.71 | 0.87 |
| £30,000-49,000 | 1.03 | 0.95 | 0.78 | 0.73 | 0.87 | 0.69 | 1.26 | 1.71 | 0.33 | 0.18 | 0.68 | 0.82 | 0.71 | 0.96 | 0.49 | 0.68 | 0.54 | 0.82 |
| £50,000+ | 0.66 | 0.56 | 0.68 | 0.60 | 0.84 | 0.65 | 0.81 | 1.54 | 0.13 | 0.08 | 0.41 | 0.67 | 0.66 | 0.88 | 0.48 | 0.82 | 0.34 | 0.55 |
| Ethnicity | ||||||||||||||||||
| White † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Other | 0.31 | 0.37 | 2.47 | 2.38 | 1.02 | 0.96 | 1.89 | - | 2.44 | - | 4.58 | 5.30 | 0.44 | 0.50 | 1.04 | 1.26 | 1.04 | 1.00 |
| Smoking | ||||||||||||||||||
| Never † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Ex-smoker | 1.17 | 0.88 | 0.93 | 1.01 | 0.96 | 0.93 | 3.27 | 2.74 | 1.82 | 1.18 | 1.00 | 1.06 | 1.18 | 1.21 | 1.33 | 1.17 | 1.62 | 1.36 |
| Current smoker | 0.67 | 0.60 | 1.11 | 0.91 | 0.81 | 0.75 | 1.25 | 0.52 | 0.97 | 0.80 | 1.40 | 0.87 | 0.62 | 0.60 | 1.41 | 0.94 | 1.32 | 0.89 |
| Chronic condition | ||||||||||||||||||
| No † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Yes | 1.32 | 1.16 | 0.98 | 0.90 | 1.08 | 1.04 | 1.57 | 0.77 | 1.35 | 1.06 | 1.08 | 1.11 | 1.25 | 1.00 | 2.38 | 1.66 | 5.28 | 3.78 |
| Number of symptoms | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1-2 † | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 3-5 | 1.38 | 1.57 | 1.62 | 1.77 | 2.04 | 2.09 | 1.70 | 1.54 | 1.19 | 1.44 | 2.16 | 2.35 | 1.33 | 1.37 | 1.95 | 1.67 | 2.61 | 2.09 |
| 6-9 | 2.33 | 2.72 | 2.27 | 2.38 | 2.87 | 2.92 | 4.06 | 3.47 | 3.32 | 3.23 | 2.81 | 2.45 | 1.37 | 1.35 | 3.66 | 2.41 | 4.30 | 2.66 |
| 10+ | 1.40 | 2.06 | 2.52 | 2.90 | 2.66 | 2.94 | 7.86 | 7.96 | 6.39 | 5.93 | 1.87 | 1.74 | 1.85 | 2.81 | 7.45 | 4.68 | 9.15 | 4.68 |
† Referent group
UOR - Unadjusted odds ratio
AOR - Adjusted odds ratio (adjusted for all variables, except when the variable itself was being examined)
Figures highlighted in bold are significant at 1% level (p < 0.01) (99% CIs are not presented to simplify presentation)
- missing data due to small numbers for some of the actions and sub-groups being examined