Table 2.

Number of variables in each of the 32 exposure, demographics or behaviour categories

Category (measurement type)	M	Meff	Mdiff	p Value
Polychlorinated biphenyls (s)	38	23.79	14.21	0.002
Dioxins (s)	7	4.90	2.10	0.01
Acrylamide (s)	2	1.44	0.56	0.03
Organochlorine pesticides (s)	13	9.95	3.05	0.005
Polybrominated ethers (s)	11	8.47	2.53	0.006
Furans (s)	10	7.99	2.01	0.006
Perchlorate (u)	2	1.66	0.34	0.03
Smoking behaviour (s/sr)	14	11.65	2.35	0.004
Phthalates (u)	13	10.85	2.15	0.005
Food component recall (sr)	74	63.92	10.08	0.0008
Phytoestrogens (u)	6	5.22	0.78	0.01
Hydrocarbons (u)	21	18.47	2.53	0.003
Nutrients (s)	29	26.32	2.68	0.002
Volatile compounds (s)	38	34.60	3.40	0.001
Physical fitness (sr*)	3	2.78	0.22	0.02
Diakyl metabolites (u)	6	5.59	0.41	0.009
Socioeconomics (SES) (sr)	9	8.49	0.51	0.006
Demographics (sr)	8	7.55	0.45	0.007
Polyflourochemicals (s)	12	11.39	0.61	0.004
Phenol pesticides (u)	7	6.65	0.35	0.008
Heavy metals (s/u)	29	27.68	1.32	0.002
Bacterial infection (s/u)	33	32.19	0.81	0.002
Viral infection (s)	16	15.72	0.28	0.003
Phenols (u)	3	2.97	0.03	0.02
Atrazine-like pesticides (u)	6	5.98	0.02	0.008
Hormone (s)	2	1.99	0.01	0.03
Pharmaceutical (sr)	107	106.78	0.22	0.0005
Organophosphate pesticides (u)	4	4.00	0.00	0.01
Carbamate pesticides (u)	4	4.00	0.00	0.01
Melamine (u)	1	1.00	0.00	0.05
Chloroacetanilide pesticides (u)	1	1.00	0.00	0.05
Pyrethyroid pesticides (u)	1	1.00	0.00	0.05
Total	530	476.0	54.0	0.0001

M, number of variables in category; Meff, effective number of variables after taking into account correlation; Mdiff, difference between M and Meff; p value, indicative correlation-adjusted Bonferroni p value threshold (0.05/Meff).

^*Denotes quantitative assessment of physical activity (VO2Max) was also measured.

s, serum; sr, self-report; u, urine.