Baseline Characteristics of Study Participants
| Characteristic | Randomized Control Group (n = 650) | Randomized Intervention Group (n = 652) | Obtaining any Probiotic Package (n = 123) | Obtaining 2–3 Probiotic Packages (n = 88) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age-group, y | ||||
| 5–18, No. (%) | 80 (12) | 80 (12) | 10 (8) | 7 (8) |
| 19–34, No. (%) | 95 (15) | 101 (15) | 7 (6) | 2 (2) |
| 35–59, No. (%) | 254 (39) | 251 (38) | 34 (28) | 21 (24) |
| ≥60, No. (%) | 221 (34) | 220 (34) | 72 (59) | 58 (66) |
| Age, median (range),a y | 48 (32–66) | 49 (32–65) | 64 (46–70)b | 65 (54–74)b |
| Male, No, (%) | 277 (43) | 316 (49)c | 52 (42) | 42 (48) |
| Body mass index, median (range)a | 26.8 (23.5–30.7) | 27.2 (24.2–30.7) | 28.2 (25.0–31.2) | 27.4 (24.9–30.9) |
| Age when asthma diagnosed, median (range),a y | 31 (11–52) | 33 (11–50) | 46 (30–59)b | 47 (31–61)b |
| Ethnic group | ||||
| White, No. (%) | 577 (89) | 595 (91) | 109 (89) | 82 (93) |
| Black, No. (%) | 2 (0.3) | 1 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Asian, No. (%) | 4 (0.6) | 1 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Mixed, No. (%) | 45 (7) | 39 (6) | 12 (10) | 6 (7) |
| Not specified, No. (%) | 22 (3) | 16 (3) | 2 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Smoking status | ||||
| Never smoked, No. (%) | 385 (60) | 368 (57) | 76 (62) | 54 (61) |
| Ex-smoker, No. (%) | 188 (29) | 200 (31) | 37 (30) | 29 (33) |
| Current smoker, No. (%) | 66 (10) | 67 (10) | 7 (6) | 3 (3) |
| Not specified, No. (%) | 11 (2) | 17 (3) | 3 (2) | 2 (2) |
| Asthma severity | ||||
| Step 1, No. (%) | 103 (16) | 116 (18) | 15 (12) | 7 (8) |
| Step 2 or 3, No. (%) | 283 (44) | 272 (42) | 51 (42) | 41 (47) |
| Step 3 or 4, No. (%) | 202 (31) | 207 (32) | 40 (33) | 27 (31) |
| Step 5, No. (%) | 62 (9) | 57 (9) | 16 (13) | 13 (15) |
| Other disease registers | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus, No. (%) | 56 (9) | 37 (6)c | 5 (4) | 4 (5) |
| Coronary heart disease, No. (%) | 36 (6) | 32 (5) | 10 (8) | 9 (10) |
| Stroke or TIA, No. (%) | 11 (2) | 17 (3) | 2 (2) | 1 (1) |
| COPD, No. (%) | 43 (7) | 46 (7) | 9 (7) | 8 (9) |
| Cancer, No. (%) | 31 (5) | 37 (6) | 13 (11)c | 9 (10)c |
| Rheumatoid arthritis, No. (%) | 5 (0.8) | 4 (0.6) | 1 (0.8) | 1 (1) |
| In last 12 mo | ||||
| Any antibiotics, No. (%) | 330 (51) | 327 (50) | 71 (58) | 55 (63)c |
| Oral corticosteroids, No. (%) | 132 (20) | 123 (19) | 26 (21) | 21 (24) |
| Asthma review, No. (%) | 377 (58) | 373 (57) | 86 (70)c | 64 (73)d |
| Influenza vaccine, No. (%) | 416 (64) | 409 (63) | 98 (80)b | 72 (82)b |
COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; TIA = transient ischemic attack.
Note: Comparisons are made between randomized groups and for those within the intervention group who obtained probiotic packages at least once, and 2 to 3 times.
↵a Range of 25th to 75th percentile.
↵b P <.001.
↵c P <.05
↵d P <.01 comparing intervention group or per protocol groups obtaining probiotics with the control group (unadjusted analysis). No other such comparisons were significant.