Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants based on FLI quartiles
| Variables | FLI | p value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quartile 1 (n = 6,086) | Quartile 2 (n = 6,085) | Quartile 3 (n = 6,085) | Quartile 4 (n = 6,086) | ||
| Gender, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Male | 2,394 (39.34) | 3,159 (51.91) | 3,395 (55.79) | 3,289 (54.04) | |
| Female | 3,692 (60.66) | 2,926 (48.09) | 2,690 (44.21) | 2,797 (45.96) | |
| Age, years | 39.00 (27.00, 57.00) | 52.00 (36.00, 66.00) | 54.00 (40.00, 66.00) | 51.00 (38.00, 63.00) | <0.001 |
| Race, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Mexican American | 555 (9.12) | 855 (14.05) | 1,116 (18.34) | 1,070 (17.58) | |
| Non-Hispanic White | 2,754 (45.25) | 2,659 (43.70) | 2,592 (42.60) | 2,722 (44.73) | |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 1,216 (19.98) | 1,186 (19.49) | 1,169 (19.21) | 1,339 (22.00) | |
| Other race | 1,561 (25.65) | 1,385 (22.76) | 1,208 (19.85) | 955 (15.69) | |
| Education level, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Less than 9th grade | 326 (5.36) | 606 (9.96) | 689 (11.32) | 587 (9.65) | |
| 9–12th grade | 2,005 (32.94) | 2,148 (35.30) | 2,336 (38.39) | 2,423 (39.81) | |
| More than 12th grade | 3,755 (61.70) | 3,331 (54.74) | 3,060 (50.29) | 3,076 (50.54) | |
| Marital status, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Cohabitation | 3,286 (53.99) | 3,733 (61.35) | 3,805 (62.53) | 3,737 (61.40) | |
| Solitude | 2,800 (46.01) | 2,352 (38.65) | 2,280 (37.47) | 2,349 (38.60) | |
| Family PIR, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Low (≤1.3) | 1,859 (30.55) | 1,803 (29.63) | 1,856 (30.50) | 2,122 (34.87) | |
| Medium (1.3–3.5) | 2,187 (35.93) | 2,288 (37.60) | 2,345 (38.54) | 2,377 (39.06) | |
| High (>3.5) | 2,040 (33.52) | 1,994 (32.77) | 1,884 (30.96) | 1,587 (26.08) | |
| Smoke, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Yes | 2,373 (38.99) | 2,761 (45.37) | 2,924 (48.05) | 3,043 (50.00) | |
| No | 3,713 (61.01) | 3,324 (54.63) | 3,161 (51.95) | 3,043 (50.00) | |
| Alcohol, n (%) | 0.055 | ||||
| Yes | 4,280 (70.33) | 4,246 (69.78) | 4,212 (69.22) | 4,146 (68.12) | |
| No | 1,806 (29.67) | 1,839 (30.22) | 1,873 (30.78) | 1,940 (31.88) | |
| Physical activity, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Inactive | 1,136 (18.67) | 1,475 (24.24) | 1,667 (27.40) | 1,833 (30.12) | |
| Moderate | 2,181 (35.84) | 2,332 (38.32) | 2,280 (37.47) | 2,347 (38.56) | |
| Vigorous | 2,769 (45.50) | 2,278 (37.44) | 2,138 (35.14) | 1,906 (31.32) | |
| DM, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Yes | 328 (5.39) | 880 (14.46) | 1,316 (21.63) | 2,131 (35.01) | |
| No | 5,758 (94.61) | 5,205 (85.54) | 4,769 (78.37) | 3,955 (64.99) | |
| Hypertension, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Yes | 1,022 (16.79) | 2,012 (33.06) | 2,618 (43.02) | 3,171 (52.10) | |
| No | 5,064 (83.21) | 4,073 (66.94) | 3,467 (56.98) | 2,915 (47.90) | |
| CHD, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Yes | 118 (1.94) | 250 (4.11) | 296 (4.86) | 341 (5.60) | |
| No | 5,968 (98.06) | 5,835 (95.89) | 5,789 (95.14) | 5,745 (94.40) | |
| Stroke, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Yes | 148 (2.43) | 225 (3.70) | 243 (3.99) | 273 (4.49) | |
| No | 5,938 (97.57) | 5,860 (96.30) | 5,842 (96.01) | 5,813 (95.51) | |
| Cancer, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Yes | 446 (7.33) | 634 (10.42) | 648 (10.65) | 617 (10.14) | |
| No | 5,640 (92.67) | 5,451 (89.58) | 5,437 (89.35) | 5,469 (89.86) | |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 22.50 (20.70, 24.23) | 26.50 (24.84, 28.39) | 30.00 (28.00, 32.15) | 36.48 (33.20, 40.80) | <0.001 |
| WC, cm | 81.60 (76.60, 86.40) | 94.20 (89.90, 98.50) | 103.50 (98.60, 108.00) | 118.10 (111.10, 127.00) | <0.001 |
| FPG, mg/dL | 87.00 (82.00, 95.00) | 92.00 (86.00, 101.00) | 95.00 (88.00, 107.00) | 100.00 (90.00, 120.00) | <0.001 |
| HbA1c, % | 5.30 (5.10, 5.60) | 5.50 (5.20, 5.80) | 5.60 (5.30, 6.00) | 5.80 (5.40, 6.40) | <0.001 |
| TC, mg/dL | 179.00 (157.00, 204.00) | 191.00 (165.00, 219.00) | 195.00 (168.00, 223.00) | 194.00 (166.00, 223.00) | <0.001 |
| TG, mg/dL | 75.00 (56.00, 102.00) | 112.00 (83.00, 156.00) | 150.00 (105.00, 215.00) | 183.00 (124.00, 278.00) | <0.001 |
| HDL-c, mg/dL | 61.00 (51.00, 72.00) | 53.00 (44.00, 63.00) | 47.00 (40.00, 56.00) | 43.00 (36.00, 51.00) | <0.001 |
| AST, U/L | 22.00 (18.00, 25.00) | 22.00 (19.00, 27.00) | 23.00 (20.00, 28.00) | 24.00 (20.00, 31.00) | <0.001 |
| ALT, U/L | 17.00 (14.00, 21.00) | 20.00 (16.00, 26.00) | 23.00 (17.00, 31.00) | 25.00 (19.00, 37.00) | <0.001 |
| GGT, IU/L | 14.00 (11.00, 19.00) | 19.00 (14.00, 26.00) | 23.00 (17.00, 35.00) | 29.00 (20.00, 47.00) | <0.001 |
| Total bilirubin, mg/dL | 0.70 (0.50, 0.80) | 0.60 (0.50, 0.80) | 0.60 (0.50, 0.80) | 0.60 (0.40, 0.70) | <0.001 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 0.81 (0.69, 0.95) | 0.86 (0.72, 1.02) | 0.88 (0.74, 1.04) | 0.87 (0.73, 1.02) | <0.001 |
| Uric acid, mg/dL | 4.60 (3.90, 5.50) | 5.30 (4.40, 6.20) | 5.60 (4.80, 6.60) | 6.00 (5.10, 7.00) | <0.001 |
| BUN, mg/dL | 12.00 (9.00, 15.00) | 13.00 (10.00, 16.00) | 13.00 (10.00, 17.00) | 13.00 (10.00, 16.00) | <0.001 |
| Kidney stones, n (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Yes | 360 (5.92) | 552 (9.07) | 675 (11.09) | 790 (12.98) | |
| No | 5,726 (94.08) | 5,533 (90.93) | 5,410 (88.91) | 5,296 (87.02) | |
Data are shown as median (25th, 75th percentiles) or number (percentages), and p < 0.05 considered statistically significant.
FLI, fatty liver index; PIR, poverty-to-income ratio; BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglyceride; HDL-c, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; ALT, alanine transaminase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GGT, gamma-glutamyl transferase; BUN, blood urea nitrogen.