Ear Infection and Its Associated Risk Factors, Comorbidity, and Health Service Use in Australian Children

Table 3

Prevalence and cross-sectional association between ear infection and health service use.

Health services	Children aged 4 to 5 years			Children aged 10 to 11 years
	% (𝑛)	Ear infection % prevalence (𝑛)	Odds ratios and 𝑃 value	% (𝑛)	Ear infection % prevalence (𝑛)	Odds ratios and 𝑃 value
General practitioners
No		6.2 (66)	OR = 1.00		1.6 (26)	OR = 1.00
Yes	63.2% (3115)	8.4 (263)	OR  =  1.38; P   =  0.022	61.8% (2573)	4.4 (113)	OR  =  2.76; P   <  0.001
Hospital outpatients
No		7.2 (272)	OR = 1.00		3.2 (127)	OR = 1.00
Yes	8.3% (409)	13.9 (57)	OR  =  2.08; P   <  0.001	5.6% (231)	5.2 (12)	OR = 1.64; 𝑃=0.110
Pediatrician
No					3.2 (124)	OR = 1.00
Yes		N/A		6.3% (264)	5.7 (15)	OR  =  1.83; P   =  0.031
Early intervention services
No		7.7 (280)	OR = 1.00		3.2 (133)	OR = 1.00
Yes	8.3% (415)	9.1 (49)	OR = 1.20; 𝑃=0.260	1.5% (64)	9.4 (6)	OR  =  3.08; P   =  0.010
Speech therapy
No		7.3 (266)	OR = 1.00		3.2 (128)	OR = 1.00
Yes	10.9% (538)	12.3 (63)	OR  =  1.79; P   <  0.001	10.4% (513)	9.6 (11)	OR  =  3.24; P   <  0.001
Other specialist
No					3.0 (109)	OR = 1.00
Yes		N/A		11.8% (492)	6.1 (30)	OR  =  2.12; P   <  0.001