Table 1.
Population characteristics and associations with exposure to household pets
| Overall | Households with at least 1 furry pet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No exposure | Only prenatal | Both pre- and postnatal | P value to compare 3 exposure groups | ||
|
N (%) 746 (100) |
N (%) 337 (45.2) |
N (%) 60 (8.0) |
N (%) 349 (46.8) |
||
| Birth mode | |||||
| Vaginal, IAP− | 375 (50.3) | 171 (45.6) | 32 (8.5) | 172 (45.9) | 0.88 |
| Vaginal, IAP+ | 176 (23.6) | 75 (42.6) | 14 (8.0) | 87 (49.4) | |
| Caesarean, scheduled | 87 (11.7) | 42 (48.3) | 4 (4.6) | 41 (47.1) | |
| Caesarean, emergency | 108 (14.5) | 49 (45.4) | 10 (9.3) | 49 (45.4) | |
| Study sites | |||||
| Edmonton | 216 (29.0) | 80 (37.0) | 19 (8.8) | 117 (54.2) | <0.001 |
| Vancouver | 286 (38.3) | 158 (55.2) | 16 (5.6) | 112 (39.2) | |
| Winnipeg | 244 (32.7) | 99 (40.6) | 25 (10.2) | 120 (49.2) | |
| Maternal race | |||||
| Caucasian | 561 (75.3) | 223 (39.8) | 49 (8.7) | 289 (51.5) | <0.001 |
| Other | 78 (10.5) | 38 (48.7) | 5 (6.4) | 35 (44.9) | |
| Asian | 106 (14.2) | 76 (71.7) | 6 (5.7) | 24 (22.6) | |
| Maternal asthma during pregnancy | |||||
| No | 675 (90.6) | 307 (45.5) | 53 (7.9) | 315 (46.7) | 0.98 |
| Yes | 70 (9.4) | 31 (44.3) | 6 (8.6) | 33 (47.1) | |
| Maternal allergy during pregnancy | |||||
| No | 271 (36.6) | 133 (49.1) | 24 (8.9) | 114 (42.1) | 0.19 |
| Yes | 470 (63.4) | 204 (43.4) | 36 (7.7) | 230 (48.9) | |
| Type of home | |||||
| Single (house) | 592 (79.4) | 251 (42.4) | 53 (9.0) | 288 (48.6) | 0.007 |
| Multiple (condo/apartment) | 154 (20.6) | 86 (55.8) | 7 (4.5) | 61 (39.6) | |
| Size of household < 3 | |||||
| No | 414 (55.5) | 190 (45.9) | 34 (8.2) | 190 (45.9) | 0.86 |
| Yes | 332 (44.5) | 147 (44.3) | 26 (7.8) | 159 (47.9) | |
| Changed house (from 18 weeks of pregnancy to 3 months) | |||||
| No | 683 (91.6) | 309 (45.2) | 51 (7.5) | 323 (47.3) | 0.15 |
| Yes | 63 (8.4) | 28 (44.4) | 9 (14.3) | 26 (41.3) | |
| Type of floor | |||||
| Not carpeted | 360 (48.3) | 156 (43.3) | 25 (6.9) | 179 (49.7) | 0.58 |
| Partially carpeted | 235 (31.5) | 110 (46.8) | 21 (8.9) | 104 (44.3) | |
| Completely carpeted | 151 (20.2) | 71 (47.0) | 14 (9.3) | 66 (43.7) | |
| Siblings | |||||
| No | 379 (52.6) | 162 (42.7) | 28 (7.4) | 189 (49.9) | 0.21 |
| Yes | 342 (47.4) | 166 (48.5) | 28 (8.2) | 148 (43.3) | |
| Antibiotic exposure (0–3 months)a | |||||
| No | 317 (43.8) | 142 (44.8) | 26 (8.2) | 149 (47.0) | 0.98 |
| Yes | 407 (56.2) | 184 (45.2) | 32 (7.9) | 191 (46.9) | |
| Breastfeeding status at 3 months | |||||
| No | 126 (16.9) | 46 (36.5) | 14 (11.1) | 66 (52.4) | 0.17 |
| Partial | 229 (30.7) | 101 (44.1) | 18 (7.9) | 110 (48.0) | |
| Exclusive | 391 (52.4) | 190 (48.6) | 28 (7.2) | 173 (44.2) | |
Comparisons by chi-square test
aAntibiotic exposure of infants = collective consideration of both indirect exposure (maternal IAP) and direct exposure (IV and oral antibiotics)