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1: Response rate, age and sex profiles, by study area

Hunter areas*
Illawarra areas†
M
S
NLM
W
B
PK
KG
AP
WG
All
Target population
324
175
304
437
314
459
281
434
295
3023
Number of respondents
269
154
230
381
250
312
207
343
194
2340
Response rate
83%
88%
76%
87%
79%
68%
74%
79%
66%
77%
Mean age in years (SD)
9.5 (0.6)
9.8 (0.9)
10.0 (1.0)
9.6 (0.6)
9.5 (0.7)
9.5 (0.6)
9.7 (0.7)
9.6 (0.6)
9.6 (0.6)
9.6 (0.7)
Boys
45.7%
46.1%
48.7%
47.5%
54.4%
51.9%
49.3%
52.5%
47.4%
49.3%

 

2: Reported symptoms in last 12 months and other health factors, by study area (as a proportion of respondents)

M
S
NLM
W
B
PK
KG
AP
WG
All
Symptoms in last 12 months
Four or more episodes of wheeze
8.6%
9.7%
11.3%
5.8%
7.6%
8.2%
10.6%
10.7%
3.4%
8.3%
Four or more chest colds
9.3%
9.7%
7.4%
3.4%
7.2%
7.3%
7.7%
5.2%
3.0%
6.3%
Longer than two weeks' night cough, without a cold
23.4%
30.5%
18.3%
15.2%
24.0%
19.3%
17.4%
16.5%
12.3%
19.1%
One or more of above symptoms
30.0%
37.0%
27.0%
20.0%
28.0%
25.3%
25.6%
25.4%
17.0%
25.3%
Other factors
Ever diagnosed asthma
28.3%
24.0%
32.2%
32.0%
38.4%
17.4%
23.7%
27.0%
18.7%
27.2%
Maternal hayfever
49.8%
40.9%
45.7%
45.1%
43.2%
26.6%
40.6%
50.1%
40.7%
42.6%

 

3: Home environment and ambient air quality measures, by study area

M
S
NLM
W
B
PK
KG
AP
WG
All
Home environment
Indoor cats
22.7%
26.6%
17.4%
19.7%
17.2%
11.5%
16.9%
17.2%
17.5%
18.0%
Carpet in bedroom
91.1%
90.3%
93.9%
95.0%
96.0%
84.5%
94.7%
94.2%
89.2%
92.2%
Unflued gas heating
27.9%
33.8%
19.1%
18.4%
14.4%
11.4%
42.0%
44.9%
27.1%
25.9%
Adults smoking indoors
43.9%
42.2%
31.7%
32.9%
43.6%
51.9%
49.0%
40.9%
31.5%
40.8%
Air quality: July 1993 - June 1994
Annual mean level of particles with aerodynamic diameter less than 10µm (µg/m3)
43.7
42.0
27.8
18.6
24.8
28.4
30.4
25.5
26.2
--
Annual mean SO2
   Daily mean (parts per hundred million)
0.58
0.90
0.47
0.41
0.23
0.48
0.46
0.16
0.53
--
   Daily maximum (parts per hundred million)
2.79
1.65
3.17
2.24
0.51
2.17
1.50
0.79
1.68
--
* M=Mayfield, S=Stockton, NLM=North Lake Macquarie, W=Wallsend, B=Beresfield.
† PK=Port Kembla, KG=Kembla Grange, AP=Albion Park, WG=Wollongong.

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