Table 5.
Adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals for associations between selected variables and dog bites in general, Kingston (KGN), Jamaica, and San Francisco (SF) (Adapted from Messam et al., 2008) (16).
| Exposure (sample size) | Exposure categories | RR | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|
| By characteristics of the child and child–dog interactions | |||
| Major reason for getting dog (1100) | Included protection (no comp.)a | 0.82c | 0.49–1.38 |
| Included comp. (no protection)b | 1.36c | 0.99–1.99 | |
| All other combinations | 1 | ||
| By characteristics of the dog | |||
| Dog’s origin (1100) | Acquired | 1.41 | 0.8–2.44 |
| Born at home | 1 | ||
| Dog’s sex and neuter status (1026) | Male (intact) | 2.56 | 1.51–4.34 |
| Male (castrated) | 1.52 | 0.94–2.46 | |
| Female (intact) | 3.22 | 1.86–5.59 | |
| Female (spayed) | 1 | ||
| By characteristics of the child–dog home environment | |||
| Housing (1101) | No yard space | 1.16d | 0.77–1.75 |
| Yard space | 1 | ||
| Dog in house (h/day) (1044) | 19–24 | 1.97c | 1.17–3.32 |
| 13–18 | 1.90c | 0.99–3.62 | |
| 7–12 | 2.18c | 1.18–4.02 | |
| 1–6 | 1.00c | 0.51–1.96 | |
| 0 | 1 | ||
| Sleep in family member’s bedroom (1042) | Yes (KGN) | 2.54 | 1.43–4.54 |
| Yes (SF) | 1.11 | 0.67–1.85 | |
| No | 1 | ||
| Dog chained/leashed (h/day) (974) | 1–24 | 1.15 | 0.66–1.99 |
| 0 | 1 | ||
| Dog locked in kennel, pen, crate, or room (h/day) (973) | 19–24 | 0.44 | 0.07–2.76 |
| 13–18 | 0.93 | 0.35–2.46 | |
| 7–12 | 1.15 | 0.72–1.83 | |
| 1–6 | 1.71 | 1.02–2.86 | |
| 0 | 1 | ||
| Can leave premises unaccompanied (1042) | Yes (KGN) | 1.04 | 0.63–1.72 |
| Yes (SF) | 3.40 | 1.98–5.85 | |
| No | 1 | ||
aAcquired for protection or for protection and other reasons excluding companionship.
bAcquired for companionship or for companionship and other reasons excluding protection.
cRR heavily influenced by KGN data.
dRR heavily influenced by SF data.