Table 1 Characteristics of the study population and a sub-group with allergy by residential distance to highway.
All participants (total group) | Low exposure | High exposure | Low exposure | High exposure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(>200 m of a highway) | (≤200 m of a highway) | Participants with allergic rhinitis or hay fever | |||
n = 1581 | n = 1384 | n = 197 | n = 288 | n = 42 | |
Men (%) | 46.5 | 45.6 | 52.8 | 46.9 | 57.1 |
Age, mean | 41.7 | 41.9 | 40.2 | 37.7 | 36.5 |
Primary school education only (%) | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 3.8 | 2.4 |
Swiss nationality (%) | 88.2 | 87.6 | 92.4 | 88.2 | 90.5 |
Body Mass Index, mean | 24.4 | 24.4 | 24.5 | 23.7 | 24.2 |
Maternal atopy (%) | 12.4 | 12.9 | 8.6 | 25.7 | 9.5 |
Early childhood respiratory infection (%) | 7.7 | 7.4 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 11.9 |
ETS exposure (%) | 27.3 | 27.0 | 28.9 | 30.2 | 31.0 |
ETS exposure at workplace (%) | 12.5 | 12.6 | 11.7 | 13.5 | 11.9 |
Occupational exposure, current (%) | 12.7 | 12.5 | 13.7 | 11.1 | 16.7 |
Never smoker (%) | 57.2 | 57.6 | 54.8 | 63.9 | 71.4 |
Current smoker (%) | 22.6 | 22.3 | 24.9 | 17.7 | 11.9 |
Former smoker (%) | 20.2 | 20.2 | 20.3 | 18.4 | 16.7 |
Smoked cigarettes (packyears), mean | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 4.3 | 6.0 |
Wheezing with breathing problems (%) | 4.7 | 4.5 | 6.1 | 9.7 | 11.9 |
Wheezing without colds (%) | 4.9 | 4.6 | 7.1 | 7.3 | 11.9 |
Regular phlegm (%) | 10.5 | 10.3 | 11.7 | 13.2 | 16.7 |
Regular cough (%) | 15.0 | 14.9 | 15.2 | 18.9 | 21.4 |
Chronic cough (%) | 5.8 | 5.4 | 8.1 | 6.6 | 16.7 |
Chronic cough or chronic phlegm (%) | 6.7 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 9.4 | 16.7 |
Doctor diagnosed asthma (%) | 8.9 | 9.1 | 7.1 | 20.8 | 7.1 |
Allergic rhinitis or hay fever (%) | 20.9 | 20.9 | 21.3 | ||