Table 1.
Participants’ characteristics, occurrence of asthma, allergies and mental health problems according to preschool teachers and parents of children aged 3‐5 years (n = 4649)
| Variables | Mean (SD) | n (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Child gender | ||
| Boy | 2344 (50.4) | |
| Girl | 2305 (49.6) | |
| Child age | ||
| 3 y | 919 (19.8) | |
| 4 y | 1227 (26.4) | |
| 5 y | 2503 (50.3) | |
| Parental gender | ||
| Male | 986 (21.2) | |
| Female | 3663 (78.8) | |
| Parental country of birth | ||
| Sweden | 3947 (84.9) | |
| Other | 702 (15.1) | |
| Parental education level | ||
| Not completed primary school/primary school | 73 (1.6) | |
| Upper secondary school/training school | 1040 (22.4) | |
| College/university degree | 3536 (76.0) | |
| Parental marital status | ||
| Single | 229 (4.9) | |
| Married/cohabiting | 4358 (93.7) | |
| Living apart | 54 (1.2) | |
| Other a | 8 (0.2) | |
| Occurrence of asthma and allergies | ||
| Asthma | 397 (8.5) | |
| Pollen/fur or dust mite allergy | 111 (2.4) | |
| Food allergy or intolerance | 204 (4.4) | |
| Number of conditions | ||
| Zero | 4054 (87.2) | |
| One | 495 (10.6) | |
| Two | 83 (1.8) | |
| Three | 17 (0.4) | |
| Mental health problems b rated by parents | ||
| Emotional symptoms | 1.16 (1.33) | 673 (14.5) |
| Conduct problems | 1.84 (1.67) | 706 (15.2) |
| Hyperactivity/inattention | 2.00 (2.02) | 673 (14.5) |
| Peer relationship problems | 0.71 (1.17) | 740 (15.9) |
| Lack of prosocial behaviour | 8.36 (1.68) | 612 (13.2) |
| Total difficulties | 5.71 (4.25) | 483 (10.4) |
| Mental health problems b rated by preschool teachers | ||
| Emotional symptoms | 0.50 (1.04) | 569 (12.2) |
| Conduct problems | 0.87 (1.52) | 655 (14.1) |
| Hyperactivity/inattention | 1.44 (2.12) | 526 (11.3) |
| Peer relationship problems | 0.47 (1.05) | 524 (11.3) |
| Lack of prosocial behaviour | 8.42 (2.08) | 710 (15.3) |
| Total difficulties | 3.28 (4.17) | 489 (10.5) |
a
For example divorced or separated.
b
Defined as mean SDQ scores and proportions of participants scoring above or below the cut‐off for the total difficulties score and each SDQ subscale, respectively.