Ear Infection and Its Associated Risk Factors in First Nations and Rural School-Aged Canadian Children

Table 2

Bivariable logistic regression analysis of the association of physician diagnosed ear infection on personal and environmental factors ().

	Ever diagnosed with ear infection		Unadjusted odds ratio
	Yes/total	(%)	(95% CI)
Environmental factors
Exposure to passive smoking
Yes	226/414	54.6	0.94 (0.76, 1.17)
No	1131/2019	56.0	1.00
During past 12 months, water or dampness
Yes	576/1015	56.7	1.07 (0.91, 1.26)
No	781/1418	55.1	1.00
House damage caused by dampness
Yes	403/720	56.0	1.01 (0.85, 1.20)
No	954/1713	55.7	1.00
Signs of mold or mildew in home
Yes	300/542	55.4	0.98 (0.81, 1.18)
No	1057/1891	55.9	1.00
Number of people in home
≤4 people	718/1286	55.8	1.00 (0.86, 1.18)
>4 people	639/1147	55.7	1.00
Personal factors
Age, in years
6–11	766/1319	58.1	1.23 (1.04, 1.44)
12–17	591/1114	53.1	1.00
Sex
Male	669/1190	56.2	1.04 (0.88, 1.22)
Female	688/1243	55.3	1.00
Obese
Yes	103/168	61.3	1.28 (0.93, 1.76)
No	1254/2265	55.4	1.00
Ethnicity
First Nations/Métis	153/351	43.6	0.56 (0.45, 0.71)
Caucasian	1204/2082	57.8	1.00
Mother’s education
<High school	90/184	48.9	0.74 (0.55, 1.00)
≥High school	1267/2249	56.3	1.00
Mother smoked during pregnancy
Yes	330/595	55.5	0.98 (0.82, 1.18)
No	1027/1838	55.9	1.00
Breastfed longer than three months
Yes	551/1037	53.1	0.83 (0.71, 0.98)
No	806/1396	57.7	1.00
First born
Yes	540/902	59.9	1.30 (1.10, 1.54)
No	817/1531	53.4	1.00
Tonsillitis
Yes	550/691	79.6	4.52 (3.67, 5.56)
No	807/1742	46.3	1.00
Asthma
Yes	242/375	64.5	1.53 (1.27, 1.83)
No	1115/2058	54.2	1.00
Any respiratory related allergy
Yes	429/679	63.2	1.53 (1.27, 1.83)
No	928/1754	52.9	1.00
Birth weight^#
Underweight (<2500 g)	89/143	62.2	1.25 (0.88, 1.78)
Overweight (>4000 g)	203/353	57.5	1.03 (0.82, 1.29)
Normal (≥2500 g to 4000 g)	1031/1814	56.8	1.00

Odds rations that are significantly different from 1.00 () are in bold face. ^#Missing values are present.