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Table 6 Adjusted odds ratios for breast cancer and residential pesticide use stratified by disease causation beliefs

From: Self-reported chemicals exposure, beliefs about disease causation, and risk of breast cancer in the Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Study: a case-control study

Beliefs about environmental chemicals/pollutants and breast cancer

 

Contributes "a lot"

Does not contribute "a lot"

Product category

Cases (no.)

Controls (no.)

Adj. OR

95% CI

Ptrend

Cases (no.)

Controls (no.)

Adj. OR

95% CI

Ptrend

Combined pesticide use

   Quartile 1

91

87

1.0

Ref.

 

82

65

1.0

Ref.

 

   Quartile 2

66

47

1.5

0.9, 2.5

 

44

52

0.7

0.4, 1.1

 

   Quartile 3

104

89

1.2

0.8, 1.9

 

65

54

1.0

0.6, 1.7

 

   Quartile 4

106

75

1.5

1.0, 2.4

0.16

47

51

0.7

0.4, 1.3

0.53

Insect or bug control

   Never use

81

78

1.0

Ref.

 

80

73

1.0

Ref.

 

   Any use

367

305

1.2

0.9, 1.8

 

202

209

0.9

0.6, 1.3

 

   Once or twice

105

90

1.1

0.7, 1.8

 

56

65

0.8

0.5, 1.3

 

   3-10 times

130

117

1.1

0.8, 1.7

 

73

71

1.0

0.6, 1.6

 

   > 10 times

132

98

1.4

0.9, 2.1

0.12

73

73

0.9

0.6, 1.4

0.86

Termites/carpenter ants

   Never use

161

146

1.0

Ref

 

132

119

1.0

Ref

 

   Any use

112

102

1.0

0.7, 1.4

 

53

59

0.7

0.4, 1.1

 

   Once or twice

68

54

1.1

0.7, 1.7

 

37

31

1.0

0.5, 1.7

 

   3-10 times

28

30

0.9

0.5, 1.6

 

7

19

0.2

0.1, 0.6

 

   > 10 times

16

18

0.8

0.4, 1.7

0.55

9

9

0.7

0.3, 2.1

0.06

Mosquito control

   Never use

176

186

1.0

Ref.

 

138

126

1.0

Ref.

 

   Any use

65

58

1.1

0.7, 1.7

 

26

29

0.8

0.4, 1.4

 

   Once or twice

10

11

1.2

0.7, 2.2

 

5

7

0.7

0.2, 2.3

 

   3-10 times

23

22

1.1

0.6, 2.1

 

12

9

1.2

0.5, 3.2

 

   > 10 times

32

25

1.2

0.7, 2.2

0.47

9

13

0.5

0.2, 1.4

0.33

Mothball control

   Never use

40

56

1.0

Ref.

 

33

35

1.0

Ref.

 

   Any use

207

190

1.3

0.8, 2.1

 

133

122

1.0

0.6,1.8

 

   < 5 times

50

55

1.2

0.7, 2.1

 

42

35

1.3

0.7, 2.7

 

   5-10 times

40

53

1.0

0.5, 1.8

 

22

20

0.9

0.4, 2.0

 

   > 10 times

117

82

1.6

1.0, 2.8

0.06

69

67

0.9

0.5, 1.7

0.41

Lawn care

   Never use

190

169

1.0

Ref.

 

126

117

1.0

Ref.

 

   Any use

250

196

1.1

0.8,1.5

 

158

147

1.1

0.8,1.5

 

   Once or twice

24

21

1.0

0.5, 2.0

 

19

14

1.4

0.7, 3.0

 

   3-20 times

115

83

1.2

0.8, 1.7

 

59

53

1.1

0.7, 1.8

 

   > 20 times

111

92

1.0

0.7, 1.5

0.58

80

80

1.0

0.6, 1.5

0.98

Outdoor and indoor plant care

   Never use

235

198

1.0

Ref.

 

172

161

1.0

Ref.

 

   Any use

214

173

1.0

0.8, 1.4

 

120

127

0.8

0.6, 1.2

 

   Once or twice

18

12

1.2

0.5, 2.6

 

15

14

0.9

0.4, 2.0

 

   3-20 times

104

86

1.0

0.7, 1.5

 

54

60

0.8

0.5, 1.2

 

   > 20 times

92

75

1.0

0.7, 1.4

0.99

51

53

0.9

0.5, 1.4

0.39

Insect repellent

   Never use

153

134

1.0

Ref.

 

133

137

1.0

Ref.

 

   Any use

312

261

1.2

0.9, 1.6

 

170

167

1.2

0.8, 1.7

 

   Rarely

179

149

1.2

0.8, 1.6

 

104

114

1.1

0.7, 1.6

 

   Sometimes

85

85

1.0

0.6, 1.5

 

48

30

1.9

1.1, 3.4

 

   Often/Very often

48

27

2.0

1.1, 3.4

0.12

18

23

0.8

0.4, 1.6

0.45

Lice control

   Never use

414

344

1.0

Ref.

 

278

282

1.0

Ref.

 

   Any use

59

58

1.1

0.7, 1.7

 

30

25

1.4

0.8, 2.5

 

Flea collar for pets

   No

132

122

1.0

Ref.

 

125

116

1.0

Ref.

 

   Yes

344

290

1.3

0.9, 1.8

 

185

192

1.0

0.7, 1.4

 

Flea control for pets

   Never use

256

214

1.0

Ref.

 

209

181

1.0

Ref.

 

   Any use

196

177

1.1

0.8, 1.4

 

98

109

0.8

0.5,1.1

 

   Once or twice

23

23

0.9

0.5, 1.6

 

20

18

1.0

0.5, 2.1

 

   3-10 times

63

74

0.8

0.5, 1.2

 

38

35

0.9

0.6, 1.6

 

   > 10 times

110

80

1.4

0.9, 2.0

0.27

40

56

0.6

0.4, 1.0

0.07

  1. Odds ratios are adjusted for age at diagnosis/reference year, birth decade (six categories), previous breast cancer diagnosis, family history of breast cancer, age at first live or still birth (< 30, ≥ 30/nulliparous), education (five categories), study (Cape, PCE). "Combined pesticide use" product category includes frequency data for: insect or bug control, lawn care, outdoor and indoor plant care, insect repellent, flea control on pets. Product use for termite or carpenter ant control, mosquito control, and mothball control not included because they were only assessed in study participants from the 1999-2000 interviews.