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. 2020 May 5;73(1):e28–e38. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa521

Table 2.

Multivariable Analysis of Risk Factors for Meningococcal Carriage Among First-year University Students at Registration (Survey 1): South Africa, 2017

Univariate
Analysis
Multivariable Analysis
Characteristics All, N Meningococcal Carriers, n
(%)
OR (95% CI) P OR (95% CI) P
Number of students 2120 98 (4.6)
University
 Witwatersrand 1219 34 (2.8) Ref
 Cape Town 901 64 (7.1) 2.7 (1.7–4.1)
Home province
 Eastern Cape 117 7 (6.0) 1.9 (.8–4.5) .125 1.9 (.8–4.5) .178
 Free State 51 3 (5.9) 1.9 (.6–6.5) .301 1.8 (.5–6.5) .344
 Gauteng 914 29 (3.2) Ref Ref
 KwaZulu-Natal 179 15 (8.4) 2.8 (1.5–5.3) .002 2.1 (1.1–4.2) .032
 Limpopo 183 1 (0.6) 0.2 (.1–1.2) .080 0.2 (.1–1.3) .094
 Mpumalanga 90 3 (3.3) 1.1 (.3–3.5) .934 1.1 (.3–3.6) .951
 Northern Cape 26 1 (3.9) 1.2 (.2–9.3) .848 1.1 (.1–7.9) .991
 North West 54 0 (0)
 Western Cape 410 37 (9.0) 3.0 (1.8–5.0) <.001 2.7 (1.6–4.5) <.001
 Outside South Africa 96 2 (2.1) 0.7 (.2–2.8) .559 0.7 (.2–3.0) .606
Median age, years 18.5 18.53 .451
Sex
 Male 868 50 (5.8) 1.5 (1.1–2.3) .039 1.5 (.9–2.3) .067
 Female 1252 48 (3.8) Ref Ref
Living arrangements
 House/apartment, with family 1116 40 (3.6) Ref Ref
 House/apartment, with other students 404 23 (5.7) 1.6 (.9–2.8) .071 2.1 (1.2–3.9) .012
 University residence/hostel/dormitory 600 35 (5.8) 1.7 (1.1–2.7) .031 2.0 (1.2–3.4) .007
Shares a room
 No 1268 65 (5.1) Ref
 Yes 852 33 (3.9) 0.8 (.5–1.1) .179
Current cigarette smokera
 No 1539 52 (3.4) Ref Ref
 Yes 581 46 (7.9) 2.5 (1.6–3.7) <.001 1.2 (.7–1.9) .533
Smoke exposurea
 No 741 20 (2.7) Ref Ref
 Yes 1379 78 (5.7) 2.2 (1.3–3.6) .002 1.3 (.7–2.2) .385
Nightclub attendanceb
 No 1714 56 (3.3) Ref Ref
 Yes 406 42 (10.3) 3.4 (2.3–5.2) <.001 1.8 (1.1–3.0) .018
Pub/bar attendanceb
 No 1646 58 (3.5) Ref
 Yes 474 40 (8.4) 2.5 (1.7–3.8) <.001
Party attendanceb
 No 1502 55 (3.7) Ref Ref
 Yes 618 43 (7.0) 2.0 (1.3–3.0) .001 0.8 (.5–1.3) .375
Intimate kissingb
 No 1260 29 (2.3) Ref Ref
 Yes 860 69 (8.0) 3.7 (2.4–5.8) <.001 2.8 (1.8–4.5) <.001
Recent upper respiratory tract infectiona
 No 1215 61 (5.0) Ref
 Yes 779 32 (4.1) 0.8 (.5–1.3) .346
Antibiotic usea
 No 1651 86 (5.2) Ref
 Yes 359 10 (2.8) 0.5 (.3–1.1) .055
HIV
 Uninfected 1968 90 (4.6)
 Infected 16 0 (0) .747
Received a meningococcal vaccine
 No 1492 57 (3.8) Ref
 Yes 83 6 (7.2) 2.0 (.8–4.7) .130
Chronic lung disease
 No 2012 93 (4.6)
 Yes 108 5 (4.6) 1.0 (.4–2.5) .997
Diabetes
 No 1744 80 (4.6)
 Yes 9 0 (0) .954

N = 2120.

Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; OR, odds ratio; Ref, reference.

aIn the previous month.

bIn the previous 2 weeks.