Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population by sex
| Total n = 28 731 | Women n = 14 809 (51.5%) | Men n = 13 922 (48.5%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age and cardiovascular risk factors | |||
| Age, y | 57.5 ± 4.3 | 57.5 ± 4.3 | 57.5 ± 4.4 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.9 ± 4.4 | 26.5 ± 4.8 | 27.4 ± 3.9 |
| Obesity, (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) | 6082 (21.2) | 3014 (20.4) | 3068 (22.0) |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 212.2 ± 40.6 | 218.1 ± 39.4 | 205.8 ± 40.8 |
| Hypercholesterolemia | 3342 (11.8) | 1396 (9.5) | 1946 (14.2) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 125.8 ± 17.0 | 123.1 ± 17.7 | 128.8 ± 15.6 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 77.5 ± 10.5 | 76.6 ± 10.8 | 78.5 ± 10.1 |
| Hypertension | 6450 (22.7) | 3069 (21.0) | 3381 (24.6) |
| Fasting glucose, mg/dL | 103.2 ± 19.8 | 99.9 ± 17.1 | 106.7 ± 21.7 |
| Glycosylated hemoglobin, mmol/mol | 36.5 ± 6.3 | 36.2 ± 5.5 | 36.8 ± 7.1 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1235 (4.4) | 452 (3.1) | 783 (5.7) |
| Moderate-vigorous physical activity, min/week | 391.7 ± 208.4 | 378.6 ± 195.9 | 405.7 ± 220.1 |
| LE8 diet (0–100) score | 41.1 ± 16.1 | 44.6 ± 16.2 | 37.3 ± 15.0 |
| Smoking | |||
| Current | 3571 (12.6) | 1849 (12.6) | 1722 (12.5) |
| Ex-smoker ≤ 1 year | 420 (1.5) | 230 (1.6) | 190 (1.4) |
| Ex-smoker > 1 year | 9962 (35.0) | 5487 (37.5) | 4475 (32.4) |
| Never | 14,484 (50.9) | 7080 (48.3) | 7404 (53.7) |
| Education level | |||
| Unfinished primary school | 177 (0.6) | 86 (0.6) | 91 (0.7) |
| Primary school | 2444 (8.5) | 1095 (7.4) | 1349 (9.7) |
| Secondary school | 13 029 (45.5) | 6285 (42.6) | 6744 (48.6) |
| University degree | 12 987 (45.4) | 7299 (49.4) | 5688 (41.0) |
| Financial strain1 | |||
| Yes | 1528 (5.3) | 833 (5.6) | 695 (5.0) |
| No | 27 019 (94.1) | 13 894 (93.8) | 13 135 (94.3) |
| Current marital status | |||
| Single | 3822 (13.4) | 2041 (13.9) | 1781 (12.9) |
| Divorced | 3161 (11.1) | 2037 (13.8) | 1124 (8.1) |
| Married | 21 107 (73.9) | 10 292 (69.9) | 10 815 (78.1) |
| Widow | 475 (1.7) | 356 (2.4) | 119 (0.9) |
| Birth country | |||
| Sweden | 24 112 (84.3) | 12 372 (83.9) | 11 740 (84.7) |
| Other country | 4498 (15.7) | 2381 (16.1) | 2117 (15.3) |
| Cardiovascular health scores | |||
| LE8 (0–100) | 70.7 ± 11.6 | 72.7 ± 11.7 | 68.6 ± 11.1 |
| LS7 (0–7) | 3.3 ± 1.3 | 3.5 ± 1.3 | 3.0 ± 1.2 |
| LS7 (0–14) | 9.1 ± 2.0 | 9.5 ± 2.0 | 8.8 ± 1.9 |
| Self-rated health | |||
| Poor | 801 (2.8) | 469 (3.2) | 332 (2.4) |
| Fair | 4367 (15.2) | 2353 (15.9) | 2014 (14.5) |
| Good | 10 340 (36.0) | 5098 (34.4) | 5242 (37.7) |
| Very good | 10 044 (35.0) | 5359 (36.2) | 4685 (33.7) |
| Excellent | 3179 (11.1) | 1530 (10.3) | 1649 (11.8) |
| Health-related quality of life | |||
| Poor mental health | 4190 (15.1) | 2622 (18.3) | 1568 (11.6) |
| Poor physical health | 4159 (15.0) | 2620 (18.3) | 1539 (11.4) |
Higher LE8 and LS7 scores indicate better cardiovascular health
Data refer to mean ± standard deviation and frequencies (percentage)
BMI body mass index, LE8 Life’s Essential 8 score, LS7 (0–7) Life’s Simple 7 (scored as 0–7), LS7 (0–14) Life’s Simple 7 (scored as 0–14)
1Difficulties in managing regular expenses in the last 12 months