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Table 2 Factors associated with homeopathic product use in pre-school children

From: Complementary or alternative? The use of homeopathic products and antibiotics amongst pre-school children

  

Unadjusted homeopathic product use

Adjusted OR

Factor (survey time-point)

Categories

Yes

No

P value

 

Maternal education (54 months)

CSE or less

29 (1.9%)

1495 (98.1%)

p < 0.0001

1.0

 

Vocational

18 (2.1%)

842 (97.9%)

 

1.04 (0.53, 2.03)

 

School O level

133 (4%)

3223 (96.0%)

 

1.65 (1.03, 2.64)

 

A level

222 (9.7%)

2070 (90.3%)

 

3.63 (2.28, 5.78)

 

Degree

158 (11.6%)

1209 (88.4%)

 

3.56 (2.20, 5.76)

Maternal age (54 months)

< 19

5 (1.9%)

263 (98.1%)

p < 0.0001

 
 

20–24

48 (3.2%)

1449 (96.8%)

  
 

25–29

188 (4.9%)

3688 (95.1%)

  
 

30–34

220 (7.3%)

2803 (92.7%)

  
 

35+

118 (11.1%)

943 (88.9%)

  

Housing tenure (54 months)

Owner/occupied

455 (6.4%)

6612 (93.6%)

p < 0.0001

1.0

 

Council/Housing

29 (2.7%)

1062 (97.3%)

 

0.94 (0.61, 1.45)

 

Assoc

53 (9.9%)

485 (90.1%)

 

1.71 (1.21, 2.40)

 

other

    

Family income per wk (54 months)

<£ 100

26 (4.4%)

560 (95.6%)

p < 0.0001

*

 

£ 100–£ 199

55 (4.6%)

1151 (95.4%)

  
 

£ 200–£ 299

103 (4.9%)

2004 (95.1%)

  
 

£ 300–£ 399

115 (6.4%)

1690 (93.6%)

  
 

£ 400+

192 (8.4%)

2105 (91.6%)

  

Maternal smoking cigarettes per day (47 months)

None

427 (6.3%)

6327 (93.7%)

p < 0.0001

*

 

1–9

52 (9.7%)

482 (90.3%)

  
 

10+

50 (3.7%)

1311 (96.3%)

  

Maternal anxiety (47 months)

Yes

156 (7.4%)

1956 (92.6%)

p = 0.004

*

 

No

384 (5.7%)

6366 (94.3%)

  

Child's fruit/veg consumption score (54 months)

1

22 (4.5%)

472 (95.5%)

p = 0.006

*

 

2

69 (4.5%)

1450 (95.5%)

  
 

3

188 (5.9%)

3011 (94.1%)

  
 

4

284 (6.8%)

3905 (93.2%)

  

Hrs spent watching tv daily (54 months)

<1

214 (8.9%)

2178 (91.1%)

p < 0.0001

*

 

1–2

230 (5.9%)

3688 (94.1%)

  
 

2+

115 (3.7%)

2958 (96.3%)

  

Child had vitamins since 3 years of age (54 months)

Yes

364 (10.5%)

3119 (89.5%)

p < 0.0001

2.55 (2.09, 3.11)

 

No

215 (3.5%)

5993 (96.5%)

  

Child's general health (42 months)

Very healthy

246 (4.7%)

8143 (95.3%)

p < 0.0001

*

 

Sometimes ill/never well

290 (7.8%)

272 (92.2%)

  

Food allergies (42 months)

Yes

83 (12%)

607 (88.0%)

p < 0.0001

2.07 (1.55, 2.76)

 

No

496 (5.5%)

8539 (94.5%)

  

Wheeze (42 months)

Yes

111 (8%)

1283 (92.0%)

p = 0.001

1.32 (1.03, 1.71)

 

No

430 (5.6%)

7212 (94.4%)

  

Earache (42 months)

Yes

198 (7%)

2620 (93.0%)

p = 0.005

*

 

No

343 (5.5%)

5875 (94.5%)

  

High temperature (42 months)

Yes

364 (6.4%)

5349 (93.6%)

p = 0.044

*

 

No

177 (5.3%)

3146 (94.7%)

  

Dry itchy rash in joints (42 months)

Yes

154 (7.5%)

1893 (92.5%)

p = 0.001

*

 

No

382 (5.5%)

6544 (94.5%)

  

Mum has no confidence in doctors (54 months)

Feels exactly/often feels

57 (8.6%)

606 (91.4%)

p < 0.0001

1.54 (1.26, 1.89)

 

Sometimes feels

233 (7.8%)

2740 (92.2%)

 

1.81 (1.30, 2.45)

 

Never feels

237 (4.7%)

4781 (95.3%)

 

1.00

Mum contacts GP when child ill (54 months)

Always

48 (3.1%)

1503 (96.9%)

p < 0.0001

1.00

 

Usually

155 (5.3%)

2785 (94.7%)

 

1.41 (0.98, 2.04)

 

Sometimes

320 (7.7%)

3833 (92.3%)

 

1.87 (1.32, 2.65)

 

Never

12 (8.1%)

136 (91.9%)

 

1.64 (0.73, 3.69)

Maternal use of homeopathic products (18 weeks antenatal)

Yes

82 (16.0%)

430 (84.0%)

p < 0.0001

4.72 (3.45, 6.44)

 

No

217 (2.4%)

8996 (97.6%)

  
  1. * = factor not included in final model as p > 0.05