Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of all participants
| Placebo group (n=211) | Antibiotics group (n=221) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||
| Female | 99 (47%) | 100 (45%) | |
| Male | 112 (53%) | 121 (55%) | |
| Age, years | 3·1 (1·4–5·6) | 3·2 (1·7–5·8) | |
| Comorbidities | 31 (15%) | 24 (11%) | |
| Asthma | 27 (13%) | 18 (8%) | |
| Long-term illness | 7/111 (6%) | 13/120 (11%) | |
| Hay fever or eczema | 39/111 (35%) | 44/121 (36%) | |
| Family history of asthma | 66/112 (59%) | 81/117 (69%) | |
| Breastfed at 3 months | 49/110 (45%) | 65/120 (54%) | |
| Mother's age, mean (SD; n) | 34·8 (6·4; n=105) | 34·9 (7·2; n=114) | |
| Number of times had cough in past 12 months, mean (SD; n) | 2·5 (2·3; n=110) | 2·8 (2·8; n=112) | |
| Previous influenza vaccine in past 12 months | 55/200 (28%) | 59/201 (29%) | |
| Previous pneumococcal vaccine (booster) in past 12 months | 61/200 (31%) | 64/201 (32%) | |
| Smoker in household | |||
| Yes | 44 (21%) | 50 (23%) | |
| No | 165 (78%) | 166 (75%) | |
| Don't know | 2 (1%) | 5 (2%) | |
| Number of children in home | |||
| 1 | 87 (41%) | 86 (39%) | |
| 2 | 73 (35%) | 95 (43%) | |
| 3 | 35 (17%) | 25 (11%) | |
| 4 | 13 (6%) | 7 (3%) | |
| 5 or more | 3 (1%) | 8 (4%) | |
| Parent highest qualification | |||
| Degree | 78 (37%) | 81 (37%) | |
| Diploma | 27 (13%) | 23 (10%) | |
| A level | 23 (11%) | 16 (7%) | |
| GCSE or O level | 20 (9%) | 27 (12%) | |
| None | 10 (5%) | 7 (3%) | |
| Not given | 42 (20%) | 53 (24%) | |
| Other | 11 (5%) | 14 (6%) | |
| Ethnic group* | |||
| British, Irish, or other White | 182 (86%) | 189 (86%) | |
| Mixed | 8 (4%) | 11 (5%) | |
| South Asian | 15 (7%) | 14 (6%) | |
| Other | 4 (2%) | 5 (2%) | |
| Prefer not to say | 1 (<1%) | 2 (1%) | |
Data are n (%), median (IQR), or n/N (%), unless otherwise specified.
*
Data missing for one person in the placebo group.