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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2004.052837v1 97/2/317    most recent Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (3) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Daly, K. A. Articles by Davey, C. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Daly, K. A. Articles by Davey, C. S. Related Collections Epidemiology Other Maternal and Infant Health Native Americans Socioeconomic Factors Secondhand Smoke

Kathleen A. Daly, PhD, Phyllis L. Pirie, PhD, Kristine L. Rhodes, MPH, Lisa L. Hunter, PhD and Cynthia S. Davey, MS

Kathleen A. Daly is with the Department of Otolaryngology and the Otitis Media Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. At the time of this study, Phyllis L. Pirie was with the Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Kristine L. Rhodes is with the Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. At the time of this study, Lisa L. Hunter was with the Department of Otolaryngology and the Otitis Media Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Cynthia S. Davey is with the Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Kathleen A. Daly, PhD, Department of Otolaryngology, MMC 396, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (e-mail: dalyx002{at}umn.edu).

Objectives. We examined relationships between otitis media risk factors, sociodemographic characteristics, and maternal knowledge and attitudes and early onset of otitis media.

Methods. Pregnant women from Minnesota American Indian reservations and an urban clinic were enrolled in our study between 1998 and 2001. Follow-up was performed on enrollees’ infants until the children were 2 years old. Research nurses collected data by ear examination, from interviews and questionnaires given to enrolled mothers, and otitis media episodes that were abstracted from medical records.

Results. Sixty-three percent of infants had experienced an otitis media episode by 6 months of age. Logistic regression analyses showed that maternal otitis media history, infant history of upper respiratory infection, and compliance with study visits were significantly related to early otitis media onset. Although high percentages of infants were exposed to cigarette smoke and other children and were formula fed, these factors were not related to otitis media. Mothers’ prenatal awareness of otitis media risks associated with environmental tobacco smoke exposure and formula feeding did not predict their postpartum behaviors.

Conclusions. We found that infant history of upper respiratory infection and maternal otitis media history are risk factors for early otitis media in American Indian infants. Mothers’ prepartum knowledge and attitudes regarding otitis media did not predict their postpartum avoidance of risk behaviors.