Table 1.
Characteristics of participants (n = 2036) and the occurrence of self-reported intolerances (SFI) and avoidance of tolerated food for health reasons (ATF)
| N total (%) | SFI (%) | ATF (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | |||
| 0–2 years old | 438 (21.5) | 57 (13) | 52 (11.9) |
| 3–5 years old | 420 (20.6) | 49 (11.7) | 53 (12.6) |
| 6–10 years old | 564 (27.7) | 86 (15.2) | 73 (15.2) |
| 11–14 years old | 394 (19.4) | 72 (18.3) | 50 (12.7) |
| 15–18 years old | 220 (10.8) | 52 (23.6) | 23 (10.5) |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 1102 (54.1) | 160 (14.5) | 130 (11.8) |
| Female | 934 (45.9) | 156 (16.7) | 121 (13) |
| Family background | |||
| Swiss | 883 (43.4) | 138 (15.6) | 109 (12.3) |
| Abroad | 1085 (53.3) | 165 (15.2) | 137 (12.6) |
| Central and Western Europe | 300 (14.7) | 53 (17.7) | 49 (16.3) |
| Eastern and Southeastern Europe | 298 (14.6) | 33 (11.1) | 39 (13.1) |
| Middle East and Central Asia | 109 (5.4) | 16 (14.7) | 4 (3.7) |
| Southern Europe | 108 (5.3) | 17 (15.7) | 10 (9.3) |
| South, East, and Southeast Asia | 87 (4.3) | 20 (23) | 7 (8) |
| Africa | 85 (4.2) | 9 (10.6) | 11 (12.9) |
| Other (North, Middle, and South America, Northern Europe, Oceania) | 98 (4.8) | 17 (17.3) | 17 (17.3) |
| Missing answer | 68 (3.3) | ||
| Highest education of parents* | |||
| ≤ College, vocational or intermediate diploma school* | 786 (38.6) | 101 (12.8) | 76 (9.7) |
| > College, vocational or intermediate diploma school** | 1157 (56.8) | 199 (17.2) | 164 (14.2) |
| Education status not stated or unknown | 93 (4.6) | ||
|
*Less than 7 years of school, compulsory school, pre-apprenticeship, professional apprenticeship, professional school **Higher education course, higher professional education, university, technical college |
|||
| Place of residence | |||
| Urban (> 10′000 inhabitants) | 965 (47.4) | 165 (17.1) | 127 (13.2) |
| Rural (< 10′000 inhabitants) | 1062 (52.2) | 149 (14) | 124 (11.7) |
| Missing answer | 9 (0.4) | ||
| Previous condition* | |||
| Yes | 311 (15.3) | 74 (23.8) | 55 (17.7) |
| Atopic disease | 61 (3) | 24 (39.3) | 10 (16.4) |
| Disease of the nervous system | 59 (2.9) | 13 (22) | 12 (20) |
| Gastroenterological disease | 35 (1.7) | 9 (25.7) | 5 (14.3) |
| Genetic disease | 25 (1.2) | 6 (24) | 5 (20) |
| Endocrinological | 24 (1.2) | 4 (16.7) | 5 (20.9) |
| > 1 disease | 17 (0.8) | 5 (29.4) | 5 (29) |
| Other disease (nephrological, cardiological, hemato-oncological, pneumological, rheumatological, musculoskeletal, metabolic, infectious, dermatological, unknown) | 90 (4.4) | 13 (14.4) | 12 (13.3) |
| No | 1700 (83.5) | 238 (14) | 195 (11.5) |
| Missing answer | 25 (1.2) | ||
| Known allergies** | |||
| Yes | 179 (8.8) | 53 (29.7) | 16 (8.9) |
| Pollen allergy | 80 (4) | 18 (18) | 7 (8.8) |
| Mixed (≥ 2 allergies of different subgroups) | 37 (1.8) | 14 (37.8) | 6 (16.2) |
| Food allergy | 31 (1.5) | 12 (38.7) | 3 (9.7) |
| Other allergens (Dust mite, animal hair, unknown, bee venom, antibiotics) | 31 (1.5) | 9 (29) | 0 (0) |
| No | 1787 (87.8) | 251 (14) | 227 (12.7) |
| Missing answer | 70 (3.4) | ||
*χ2 test: significant effect in both SFI and ATF, p < 0.01; **χ2 test: significant effect in SFI