For black race, male gender, and gestation less than 28 weeks, both sources show a statistically significant effect on asthma risk, although for both short gestation and black race, the estimated effect is smaller in the medical records model than in the mother’s report model.

The two models also agree about the lack of effect of number of siblings, urban residence, or use of day care. However, a closer examination reveals that the direction of the effect of having three or more siblings is opposite in the two sources: In the medical records model, having more siblings appears to be protective, whereas in the maternal report model, it increases asthma risk.

According to the maternal report model, poverty, maternal smoking, and breastfeeding are all significant predictors of asthma risk, but none of those factors are statistically significant in the medical records model predicting asthma.