Table 2.
Description of BRI case groups and referent group in terms of demographics, lifestyle, perceived general health, and comparisons between case groups and referents using t-test and chi-square analysis. Further description of the case groups is also given.
| Variable | Self-Reported BRI 1 | Self-Reported BRI and World Health Organization (WHO) Symptoms 2 | Referents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 275) | (n = 123) | (n = 4180) | |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 51.8 (14.5) ns | 51.3 (14.4) | 51.4 (16.9) |
| Women, n (%) | 201 (73.1) *** | 96 (78.0) *** | 2259 (54.0) |
| Married/cohabitant, n (%) | 185 (67.3) * | 78 (63.4) * | 3098 (74.1) |
| No response | 4 (1.5) | 2 (1.6) | 34 (0.8) |
| University education, n (%) | 121 (44.0) ns | 50 (40.7) ns | 1614 (38.6) |
| No response | 4 (1.5) | 2 (1.6) | 71 (1.7) |
| Smoking, n (%) | 28 (10.2) ns | 15 (12.2) ns | 376 (9.0) |
| No response | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 29 (0.7) |
| Physical exercise, n (%) | |||
| Once a month or less | 37 (13.5) ns | 15 (12.2) ns | 601 (14.4) |
| 2–4 times/month | 53 (19.3) | 25 (20.3) | 913 (21.8) |
| 2–3 times/week | 101 (36.7) | 47 (38.2) | 1564 (37.4) |
| More than 3 times/week | 79 (28.7) | 33 (26.8) | 1035 (24.8) |
| No response | 5 (1.8) | 3 (2.4) | 67 (1.6) |
| Perceived general health, n (%) | |||
| Excellent/very good | 75 (27.3) *** | 27 (22.0) *** | 1665 (39.8) |
| Good | 81 (29.5) | 31 (25.2) | 1449 (34.7) |
| Fairly good/poor | 118 (42.9) | 65 (52.8) | 1019 (24.4) |
| No response | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 47 (1.1) |
| Duration of BRI (years), mean (SD) | 12.4 (11.6) | 12.8 (12.3) | |
| Frequency of BRI-related symptoms | |||
| Daily | 55 (20.0) | 32 (26.0) | |
| Weekly | 64 (23.3) | 33 (26.8) | |
| Monthly | 129 (46.9) | 51 (41.5) | |
| No response | 27 (9.8) | 7 (5.7) | |
| Degree of negative impact of visiting buildings that evoke symptoms, mean (SD) | |||
| Emotionally | 2.43 (1.68) | 2.85 (1.66) | |
| Behaviorally | 2.13 (1.71) | 2.51 (1.73) |
1 BRI = Building-related intolerance; 2 WHO symptoms = Important BRI symptoms according to WHO (1983). * p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001, ns nonsignificant.