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Table 4 Associations between use of primary care professionals for selected symptoms and participant and symptom characteristics (unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios)

From: Revisiting the symptom iceberg in today's primary care: results from a UK population survey

Participant and

symptom characteristics

Feeling tired/

run down

Cold or flu

symptoms

Back pain

Nervousness/

anxiety

Headaches

Joint pain

 

UOR

AOR

UOR

AOR

UOR

AOR

UOR

AOR

UOR

AOR

UOR

AOR

Gender

            

Men †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Women

1.71

1.64

2.44

1.93

2.09

2.10

1.34

1.75

2.25

6.14

1.96

2.59

Age

            

18-24 †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

25-34 yrs

0.72

0.37

0.58

0.14

0.86

1.19

0.76

0.71

0.55

1.41

1.23

1.01

35-44 yrs

1.26

1.45

0.56

0.23

2.29

3.47

1.01

1.89

1.47

4.55

2.07

2.17

45-54 yrs

1.54

1.10

0.85

0.31

1.77

3.61

1.63

3.08

1.61

2.77

2.40

2.22

55-60 yrs

1.23

0.60

0.85

0.27

2.58

4.92

1.23

5.54

2.32

4.63

3.12

3.57

Marital status

            

Single †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Married/living together

1.09

1.38

0.95

1.29

1.18

0.92

0.90

1.74

1.30

1.71

1.26

0.90

No longer married

2.18

1.58

2.89

0.62

1.62

0.48

1.53

0.84

1.29

0.31

1.63

0.57

Social support

            

Low †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Medium

0.51

0.31

3.50

3.56

0.95

2.88

0.48

0.22

1.33

2.20

0.99

3.07

High

0.48

0.49

2.01

1.39

1.44

6.02

0.33

0.22

1.17

0.95

1.32

3.78

Education

            

No qualifications †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Secondary school

0.79

2.61

1.93

14.09

0.66

0.95

0.48

1.16

0.40

0.18

0.64

1.02

Higher education

0.40

1.65

1.09

15.74

0.78

2.54

0.36

0.83

0.36

0.10

0.67

1.49

Housing

            

Owned/mortgaged †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Privately rented and other

1.43

0.60

1.50

1.00

0.87

1.02

1.50

1.30

1.28

2.08

0.57

0.63

Council/housing assoc.

1.39

0.74

1.18

0.28

1.09

1.19

1.19

0.27

1.33

0.06

1.15

0.50

Employment

            

Full-time †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Part-time

1.88

1.18

1.06

0.89

1.78

0.98

1.27

1.15

1.14

0.50

1.51

0.90

Self-employed

0.60

0.51

0.71

0.43

1.35

1.16

0.37

0.43

0.50

0.16

0.78

0.69

Not working due to illness

6.52

2.57

2.76

0.66

9.46

2.50

5.00

5.54

5.31

4.09

14.68

3.63

Others not in employment

1.03

0.79

1.07

0.45

1.44

0.54

1.17

1.63

0.96

0.24

1.15

0.58

Household income

            

<£15,000 †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

£15,000-29,999

0.76

0.75

0.93

3.84

0.69

0.58

0.35

0.55

0.93

0.62

0.83

0.78

£30,000-49,000

0.47

0.40

0.50

0.92

0.53

0.51

0.52

0.80

0.71

0.40

0.45

0.70

£50,000+

0.44

0.80

0.60

1.15

0.25

0.20

0.51

1.73

0.38

0.40

0.47

0.62

Ethnicity

            

White †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Other

0.86

2.48

9.49

84.62

1.19

0.67

1.82

6.46

2.15

5.47

1.83

2.91

Smoking

            

Never †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Ex-smoker

1.69

1.59

1.20

0.96

1.50

0.71

1.77

1.30

1.16

0.23

1.56

1.24

Current smoker

1.62

0.98

0.44

0.55

0.94

0.64

2.00

1.91

0.82

0.50

1.14

0.82

Chronic condition

            

No †

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Yes

3.11

2.31

1.06

1.94

1.76

1.41

5.05

2.17

1.50

1.10

2.11

1.36

Severity of symptom

            

Low†

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

High

5.97

2.64

19.78

2.50

11.70

4.33

12.07

8.47

4.55

4.24

7.68

5.09

Duration of symptom

            

Short†

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Medium

2.03

2.06

3.98

3.03

3.50

2.99

1.76

0.97

4.61

6.49

2.67

1.96

Long

4.66

2.66

6.96

12.23

7.06

3.75

5.18

2.09

1.65

0.19

3.14

2.23

Interference with life

            

Low†

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

High

5.58

2.86

22.83

19.42

10.55

3.63

6.03

4.38

11.07

15.83

8.54

3.13

Recent experience

            

No†

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

1.00

Yes

0.65

0.27

0.50

0.15

0.65

0.83

0.63

0.12

0.94

0.52

0.70

1.04

  1. † Referent group
  2. UOR - unadjusted odds ratio
  3. AOR - adjusted odds ratio (adjusted for all variables, except when the variable itself was being examined)
  4. Figures highlighted in bold are significant at 1% level (p < 0.01) (99% CIs are not presented to simplify presentation)