Table 2.
Questionnaire variables whose frequencies differed (P < 0·15) between childcare employees and unexposed individuals
| Variable | Crude OR (95% CI) | P value | Trend P value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season (autumn/winter as reference)† | 0·34 (0·27–0·42) | <0·0001 | |
| Age‡ | 0·13 | 0·19 | |
| Education‡ | <0·0001 | <0·0001 | |
| Spouse or partner's education‡ | <0·0001 | 0·0004 | |
| Smokes cigarettes | 2·13 (1·08–4·22) | 0·028 | |
| Chronic medical conditions | 2·03 (0·78–5·31) | 0·14 | |
| Respiratory illness in past year | 2·40 (1·32–4·37) | 0·0038 | |
| Upper respiratory tract infection in past year | 2·21 (1·22–4·02) | 0·0081 | |
| Hospitalized in the past year | 2·65 (0·90–7·80) | 0·068 | |
| Family member with recent influenza-like illness | 1·66 (0·96–2·87) | 0·074 | |
| Family member with URTI in past year | 1·79 (0·99–3·26) | 0·054 | |
| Family member hospitalized in past year | 5·35 (1·75–16·38) | 0·0013 | |
| Family member with an SSTI in past year | 3·78 (0·77–18·61) | 0·098 | |
| Family member with a Staphylococcus aureus infection in past year | 5·34 (0·61–46·48) | 0·12 | |
| Acne | 0·54 (0·28–1·04) | 0·064 | |
| Number of times participant visits a gym per week‡ | 0·013 | 0·008 | |
| Participant works in a hospital with no contact with patients | 0·047 (0·011–0·20) | <0·0001 | |
| Participant uses antibacterial soap | 1·89 (0·83–4·32) | 0·12 | |
| Participant works closely with animals | 4·36 (0·90–21·02) | 0·057 | |
| Family member comes in contact with animal waste | 4·36 (0·90–21·02) | 0·057 | |
| Family member works at an animal processing plant | 0·48 (0·42–0·56) | 0·041 | |
| Participant reports recent contact with cattle | 2·16 (0·95–4·88) | 0·061 | |
| Participant reports recent contact with swine | 2·19 (0·97–6·06) | 0·12 | |
| Family member with recent close contact with animals | 1·67 (0·84–3·30) | 0·14 | |
| Family member who had recent contact with cattle | 3·98 (1·27–12·52) | 0·012 | |
| Family member with recent contact with swine | 12·47 (1·58–98·39) | 0·0025 | |
| Animal on property | 1·77 (1·04–3·03) | 0·036 | |
| Dog on property | 1·77 (1·01–3·12) | 0·046 |
OR, Odds ratio; CI, confidence interval; URTI, upper respiratory tract infection; SSTI, skin and soft tissue infection.
*
Based on Cochran–Armitage test for trend.
†
Autumn/winter season included October–March; spring/summer included April–September.
‡
Categorical/ordinal variable – individual odds ratios not calculated.