Table 2

Relationship of consent to store blood with selected socio-cultural, economic and demographic characteristics. Among 854 urban Indigenous Australian research participants who completed a questionnaire and provided a fasting blood sample in 2003–2005.


% of total
% who agreed to long-term storage
Unadjusted model
Age-adjusted model
Final model†‡ (n = 770)







OR*
95% CI*
OR*
95% CI*
OR*
95% CI*

Sex








     Male
31.6
59.6
1.08
0.81, 1.45
1.10
0.82, 1.47


     Female
68.4
57.7
1.0
---
1.0
---


Age group‡








     15–44
71.0
55.3
1.0
---
---

1.0
---
     45–81
29.0
65.7
1.55
1.14, 2.11
---

1.49
1.04, 2.13
Indigenous group








     Aboriginal only
83.6
56.7
1.0
---
1.0
---
1.0
---
     Torres Strait Islander only
5.8
70.0
1.78
0.96, 3.32
1.78
0.95, 3.33
1.85
0.96, 3.57
     Both Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
10.5
64.4
1.38
0.88, 2.18
1.40
0.89, 2.22
1.59
0.97, 2.60
Age left school§








     < 14 years or never went
5.4
56.5
0.99
0.54, 1.81
0.77
0.41, 1.46
0.84
0.42, 1.69
     14–15 years
22.7
63.5
1.33
0.95, 1.86
1.18
0.84, 1.68
1.49
1.02, 2.18
     ≥ 16 years or still at school
71.9
56.7
1.0
---
1.0
---
1.0
---
In full-time employment§








     Yes
43.7
57.5
0.93
0.71, 1.23
0.94
0.71, 1.24


     No
56.3
59.2
1.0
---
1.0
---


Housing tenure§








     Owned or being purchased
42.5
61.3
1.24
0.94, 1.64
1.21
0.91, 1.60


     Rented or other tenure
57.5
56.1
1.0
---
1.0
---


Private health insurance§








     Yes
24.5
65.8
1.54
1.09, 2.16
1.50
1.06, 2.11


     No
75.5
55.6
1.0
---
1.0
---


Smoking status§








     Current smoker
43.5
52.2
1.0
---
1.0
---
1.0
---
     Former smoker
24.2
60.8
1.42
1.00, 2.01
1.35
0.95, 1.91
1.24
0.85, 1.80
     Never smoker
32.3
64.0
1.63
1.18, 2.24
1.59
1.15, 2.20
1.48
1.04, 2.10
Identifies with clan, tribal, language group§








     Yes
61.2
59.8
1.0
---
1.0
---


     No
38.8
56.7
0.88
0.66, 1.17
0.94
0.71, 1.26


Has non-Indigenous grandparents§








     Yes
69.3
63.8
1.90
1.40, 2.58
1.98
1.45, 2.70
2.07
1.50, 2.85
     No
30.7
48.1
1.0
---
1.0
---
1.0
---
Identifies as member of Stolen Generations§, ¶








     Yes
27.1
63.6
1.34
0.96, 1.86
1.27
0.91, 1.77


     No
72.9
56.7
1.0
---
1.0
---


Staff member who witnessed consent is Indigenous§








     Yes
40.9
63.3
1.43
1.08, 1.89
1.36
1.02, 1.80
1.43
1.05, 1.94
     No
59.1
54.8
1.0
---
1.0
---
1.0
---

* OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval. Both were obtained from a logistic regression model.

† Includes all factors for which an estimate is shown.

‡ Similar results were obtained using 10-year age groups.

§ N = 854 except as indicated: age left school (n = 846); full-time employment (n = 836); housing tenure (n = 844); private health insurance (n = 775); smoking status (n = 842); identifies with clan, tribal or language group (n = 828); has non-Indigenous grandparents (n = 785); identifies as a member of the Stolen Generations (n = 760); Staff member who witnessed the consent is Indigenous (n = 853).

¶ A term referring to Indigenous people who were forcibly removed from their families as children by police or welfare officers as part of government assimilation policies [11].

Cunningham and Dunbar Epidemiologic Perspectives & Innovations 2007 4:7   doi:10.1186/1742-5573-4-7