Table 1.
Health outcomes and demographic characteristics of the study participants (n = 3424)
| Variable | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Rhinitis ever | 1790 | 52.3 |
| Current rhinitis | 1372 | 40.1 |
| Current rhinoconjunctivitis | 769 | 22.5 |
| Ever had hayfever | 1285 | 37.5 |
| Sex of child | ||
| Female | 1790 | 52.3 |
| Male | 1634 | 47.7 |
| Type of Area | ||
| Township | 2301 | 67.2 |
| Suburb | 1117 | 32.6 |
| Missing | 6 | 0.18 |
| Period lived in the area | ||
| Less than 6 months | 253 | 7.4 |
| 6 to 12 months | 216 | 6.3 |
| 1 to 2 years | 346 | 10.1 |
| 3 years and longer | 2609 | 76.2 |
| Born in the areas of Tembisa and Kempton Park | ||
| Yes | 1812 | 52.9 |
| No | 1609 | 47.0 |
| Missing | 3 | 0.1 |
| Type of house | ||
| Brick | 2938 | 85.8 |
| Mud | 45 | 1.3 |
| Corrugated iron | 184 | 5.5 |
| Combination | 126 | 3.7 |
| Missing | 126 | 3.7 |
| Vigorous physical activity per week | ||
| Never or occasionally | 984 | 28.7 |
| Once or twice per week | 1417 | 41.4 |
| Three or more times a week | 983 | 28.7 |
| Missing | 40 | 1.2 |
| Hours watching television on average in a day | ||
| Less than 1 h | 532 | 15.5 |
| Hour but less than 3 h | 835 | 24.4 |
| 2 h but less than 5 h | 827 | 24.4 |
| More than 5 h | 1213 | 35.4 |
| Missing | 17 | 0.50 |
| ETS exposure at home in the past 30 days | ||
| Yes | 1452 | 42.4 |
| No | 1460 | 42.6 |
| Missing | 512 | 15.0 |
| ETS exposure at school in the past 30 days | ||
| Yes | 1177 | 34.4 |
| No | 1452 | 42.4 |
| Missing | 755 | 23.2 |
| Residential cooking fuel type most frequently used | ||
| Electricity | 2995 | 87.5 |
| Gas | 179 | 5.2 |
| Paraffin | 200 | 5.8 |
| Open fires (wood, coal) | 30 | 0.9 |
| Missing | 20 | 0.6 |
| Residential heating fuel type most frequently used | ||
| Electricity | 2041 | 59.6 |
| Gas | 426 | 12.4 |
| Paraffin | 631 | 18.4 |
| Open fires (wood, coal) | 270 | 7.9 |
| Missing | 56 | 1.64 |
| Mode of transport to school | ||
| Walk | 1728 | 50.5 |
| Taxi\Bus | 708 | 20.7 |
| Motor car | 683 | 20.0 |
| Combination | 201 | 5.9 |
| Train | 100 | 2.9 |
| Missing | 4 | 0.1 |
| Frequency of trucks passing near homes on weekdays | ||
| Never | 563 | 16.4 |
| Seldom | 1033 | 30.2 |
| Frequently through the day | 580 | 16.9 |
| Almost every day | 1212 | 35.4 |
| Missing | 36 | 1.1 |