Table 1.
Participant demographics and environmental risk characteristics for the male sample (N = 227,504) controls and colorectal cancer cases.
| Characteristic | Controls (n = 226,324) | Colorectal cancer cases (n = 1,180) | Total sample (N = 227,504) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 66.6 (10.8) | 69.4 (8.8) | 66.6 (10.8) | <0.0001a |
| Race, n (%) | 0.2186a | |||
| Black or African American | 19,522 (8.6%) | 117 (9.9%) | 19,639 (8.6%) | |
| White | 188,509 (83.3%) | 976 (82.7%) | 189,485 (83.3%) | |
| Unknown/underrepresented/multiple | 18,293 (8.1%) | 87 (7.4%) | 18,380 (8.1%) | |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | 0.3431a | |||
| Hispanic/Latinx | 14,176 (6.3%) | 66 (5.6%) | 14,242 (6.3%) | |
| Not Hispanic/Latinx | 212,148 (93.7%) | 1,114 (94.4%) | 213,262 (93.7%) | |
| Educationb, n (%) | <0.0001c | |||
| Less than high school | 7,287 (3.2%) | 54 (4.6%) | 7,341 (3.2%) | |
| High school or GED | 50,464 (22.3%) | 314 (26.6%) | 50,778 (22.3%) | |
| Some college or technical school | 98,308 (43.4%) | 528 (44.7%) | 98,836 (43.4%) | |
| College graduate or more | 70,265 (31.0%) | 284 (24.1%) | 70,549 (31.0%) | |
| Height, cm, mean (SD) | 177.7 (7.0) | 178.1 (6.9) | 177.7 (7.0) | 0.0745c |
| BMId, kg/cm2, mean (SD) | 29.5 (5.4) | 29.5 (5.5) | 29.5 (5.4) | 0.6072c |
| Diabetese, n (%) | 75,675 (33.4%) | 472 (40.0%) | 76,147 (33.5%) | <0.0001c |
| Physical activity (vigorous)f, n (%) | 95,464 (42.2%) | 405 (34.3%) | 95,869 (42.1%) | <0.0001c |
| Smoking status, n (%) | ||||
| Ever-smokerg | 158,565 (70.1%) | 907 (76.9%) | 159,472 (70.1%) | <0.0001c |
| Smoking pack-yearsh, mean (SD) | 19.4 (25.6) | 24.1 (27.9) | 19.5 (25.6) | <0.0001a |
| Alcohol consumption, n (%) | <0.0518a | |||
| <1 g/day | 108,372 (47.9%) | 605 (51.3%) | 108,977 (47.9%) | |
| 1–28 g/day | 97,401 (43.0%) | 468 (39.7%) | 97,869 (43.0%) | |
| >28 g/day | 20,551 (9.1%) | 107 (9.1%) | 20,658 (9.1%) | |
| Pharmaceutical usei, n (%) | ||||
| Aspirin | 32,377 (14.3%) | 167 (14.2%) | 32,544 (14.3%) | 0.8809a |
| NSAID | 62,843 (27.8%) | 245 (20.8%) | 63,088 (27.7%) | <0.0001a |
| Nutrientsj, mean (SD) | ||||
| Fiber (g/day) | 14.0 (5.6) | 13.8 (5.4) | 14.0 (5.6) | 0.2584c |
| Calcium (mg/day) | 797.0 (409.3) | 768.6 (395.0) | 796.9 (409.2) | 0.0150c |
| Folate (μg/day) | 637.2 (410.8) | 611.2 (401.9) | 637.0 (410.7) | 0.0204c |
| Dietj, mean (SD) of daily servings, mean (SD) | ||||
| Processed meat | 0.4 (0.5) | 0.5 (0.5) | 0.4 (0.5) | 0.3998c |
| Red meat | 0.7 (0.6) | 0.8 (0.6) | 0.7 (0.6) | 0.2442c |
| Fruit | 1.2 (1.2) | 1.2 (1.2) | 1.2 (1.2) | 0.0188c |
| Vegetable | 1.3 (1.3) | 1.3 (1.2) | 1.3 (1.3) | 0.2483c |
| Total energyk mean (SD) | 1,429.6 (613.3) | 1,424.5 (629.6) | 1,429.6 (613.4) | 0.4445c |
| Family history of colon cancerl, n (%) | 28,857 (12.8%) | 159 (13.5%) | 29,016 (12.8%) | <0.4569a |
| ≥1 Colonoscopym, n (%) | 139,196 (61.5%) | 1,003 (85.0%) | 140,199 (61.6%) | <0.0001c |
Result from the Kruskal–Wallis test for differences between groups; P value < 0.05 is significant.
Education—educational attainment response on the MVP baseline survey.
Result from the χ2 test for differences between groups; P value < 0.05 is significant.
BMI—kg/m2 derived from MVP baseline survey and VA health record data sources.
Diabetes—Previous diagnosis of type 2 diabetes derived from (a) either ≥1 use of ICD code 250.xx at a primary care visit, or ≥2 uses of the code in any setting and (b) an outpatient prescription of a diabetes drug.
Vigorous physical activity—physical activity level that meets the recommendations of the American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple Seven43 reported on the MVP Lifestyle Survey.
Ever-smoked—responded “Yes” to the question “In your lifetime, have you smoked a total of at least 100 cigarettes?” on the MVP Lifestyle Survey.
Pack-years—number of years smoked times number of packs/day (current or former) derived from responses to questions on the MVP Lifestyle Survey.
NSAID and aspirin use—used 2 or more days/week as reported on the MVP Lifestyle Survey.
Nutrient and diet categories—derived from the MVP Lifestyle Survey food frequency questionnaire responses.
Total calories—kCal/day derived from MVP nutrient tables.
Family history of colon cancer—responded “Yes” to questions on the MVP baseline survey that ask whether a grandparent/parent/sibling had colon cancer.
≥1 colonoscopy—at least 1 procedure code (CPT) for colonoscopy found in participant’s VA health records prior to completing the MVP Lifestyle Survey.