Table 2

Association between the grandmother's smoking when pregnant with the mother and asthma development in the grandchild

OutcomeExposuren, totaln, casesCrude RR (95% CI)Model 1 adj. RR (95% CI)Model 2
adj. RR (95% CI)
Asthma at 36 months
(N=53 169)
Grandmother smoked during pregnancy
 No34 4601843111
 Yes12 1048031.24 (1.15 to 1.35)1.15 (1.06 to 1.24)1.15 (1.06 to 1.25)
 Don't know49333071.16 (1.03 to 1.31)1.11 (0.99 to 1.24)1.11 (0.99 to 1.24)
Asthma at 7 years
(N=25 394)
Grandmother smoked during pregnancy
 No16 301759111
 Yes57563481.31 (1.15 to 1.48)1.21 (1.07 to 1.37)1.21 (1.07 to 1.37)
 Don't know22761291.21 (1.01 to 1.46)1.15 (0.96 to 1.39)1.15 (0.96 to 1.39)
Use of asthma medications at 7 years based on prescription registry (N=45 607)Grandmother smoked during pregnancy
 No28 8211281111
 Yes11 3676271.24 (1.13 to 1.37)1.15 (1.04 to 1.26)1.13 (1.03 to 1.25)
 Don't know44482261.14 (1.00 to 1.31)1.07 (0.93 to 1.23)1.07 (0.93 to 1.23)
  • Model 1 adjusted for maternal age, maternal parity, maternal education, maternal salary, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, and maternal asthma.

  • Model 2 adjusted for maternal age, maternal parity, maternal education, maternal salary, maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal asthma and maternal smoking during pregnancy.

  • Multiple imputation of missing covariate information by chained equations conducted for all measures of association presented. There were a total of 1069 children in the analysis of asthma at 36 months, 535 children in the analysis of asthma at 7 years and 971 children in the analysis of use of asthma medication for whom we imputed missing information on the grandmother's smoking status. Furthermore, missing information on asthma status was imputed for 610 children with regard to current asthma at 36 months and 540 children with regard to current asthma at 7 years. For all other covariates, the amount of missing information that was imputed was less than 1.5%.