Table 3. Direct and indirect effects of BMI on ASCVD using difference method in men and women: exposure in continuous and mediators in continuous.

	ASCVD	Stroke			IHD
		All	Ischemic	Hemorrhagic	All	AMI	Angina
	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter
Men
Total effect (TE)	0.06	0.04	0.06	0.01	0.06	0.057	0.06
Direct effect (DE)	0.04	0.02	0.03	−0.02	0.06	0.04	0.05
Indirect effect (TE-DE)	0.02	0.02	0.03	0.03	0.01	0.01	0.01
% mediated	27.1	60.4	43.8	NE	13.5	21.5	12.6
Women
Total effect (TE)	0.07	0.04	0.09	−0.00	0.09	0.03	0.01
Direct effect (DE)	0.05	0.03	0.06	−0.03	0.07	0.02	0.08
Indirect effect (TE-DE)	0.02	0.02	0.03	0.02	0.02	0.03	−0.07
% mediated	33.3	35.4	30.5	NE	20.4	47.2	NE

AMI, acute myocardial infarction; ASCVD, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease; BMI, body mass index; FBS, fasting blood sugar; IHD, ischemic heart disease; NE, not estimated due to small sample or insignificant results; SBP, systolic blood pressure; TC, total cholesterol.

Total effect: adjusted for age, smoking, alcohol, exercise, systolic blood pressure (SBP), fasting glucose, and total cholesterol at baseline (’92 and ’94); Direct effect: adjusted for age, smoking, alcohol, exercise, SBP, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol at baseline plus mediators (SBP, FBS, and TC) (’02 and ’04); % mediated: (TE-DE)/TE * 100.