Table 1.
Characteristic profiles of asthmatic and control subjects
| Characteristic [N (%) or otherwise stated] | Puerto Ricana Asthmatic Group | Puerto Rican Control Group |
|---|---|---|
| N = 62 | N = 61 | |
| Age in years [Mean (SD)]d | 41.2 (13.5) | 46 (16.4) |
| Age by Category | ||
| 14–24 | 5 (8.1) | 3 (4.9) |
| 25–35 | 20 (32.3) | 20 (32.8) |
| 36–45 | 13 (20.9) | 5 (8.2) |
| 46+ | 24 (38.7) | 33 (54.1) |
| Gender [N (%) Males/N (%) Females] | 11 (17.7)/51 (82.3) | 21 (34.4)/40 (65.6) |
| Residence in Metropolitan (Urban) Area | 40 (64.5) | 34 (55.7) |
| Smokingc | 19 (30.6) | 14 (22.9) |
| Indoor Pets | 33 (54.1) | 31 (50.8) |
| Family Asthma Historyb | 49 (86) | 34 (80.9) |
| Asthma Exacerbations | 30 (48.4) | |
| Asthma Medication Usage | 55 (88.7) | |
| African Dust Knowledge | 59 (95.2) | 60 (98.4) |
| Asthma symptoms caused by African Dust | 29 (46.8) |
Legend: aPuerto Rican ancestry (European, West African and Native American); bfirst line relatives: parents, sons (daughters) and/or brothers (sisters) have or had asthma; SD means standard deviation and cthe smoking characteristic is based on the answer to the question, have you ever smoked in your life? dThe only characteristic that showed a statistically significant difference between the proportions of asthmatics and controls was age with a p value of 0.035