TABLE 1—
Mean Ages and Age-Standardized Distribution of Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors and Other Characteristics According to Type of Caregiving
| Characteristic | No Care (n = 25 985) | Children (n = 13 433) | Grandchildren (n = 13 392) |
| Mean age, y | 59.3 | 53.6 | 60.2 |
| Hypertension, % | 30.5 | 32.6 | 33.6 |
| Diabetes, % | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.8 |
| Hypercholesterolemia, % | 43.1 | 43.5 | 44.2 |
| Smoking status, % | |||
| Never smoked | 42.5 | 47.3 | 46.7 |
| Past smoker | 43.5 | 38.5 | 39.4 |
| Current smoker | 14.0 | 14.1 | 14.0 |
| Current use of postmenopausal hormones, % | 37.1 | 30.8 | 34.9 |
| Past use of oral contraceptives, % | 52.4 | 49.1 | 50.9 |
| Parental history of myocardial infarction before age of 60 y, % | 13.1 | 13.2 | 13.4 |
| Mean alcohol intake, g/d | 5.8 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Highest exercise quintile, % | 20.2 | 18.6 | 17.7 |
| Highest quintile of vitamin E intake, % | 19.2 | 17.2 | 17.7 |
| Highest quintile of saturated fat intake, % | 17.7 | 17.2 | 20.9 |
| Mean body mass index, kg/m2 | 25.6 | 26.3 | 26.5 |
| Consumption of ≥7 aspirin tablets/wk, % | 15.3 | 14.3 | 17.3 |
| Marital status, % | |||
| Currently married | 80.9 | 85.3 | 82.1 |
| Divorced or separated | 8.8 | 8.8 | 6.3 |
| Widowed | 10.3 | 6.0 | 11.6 |
| Education, % | |||
| Registered nurse certification | 68.4 | 67.1 | 76.1 |
| Bachelor’s degree | 20.3 | 23.1 | 17.1 |
| Graduate degree | 11.3 | 9.8 | 6.8 |
| Employment status, % | |||
| Full-time nurse | 53.2 | 53.2 | 48.9 |
| Part-time nurse | 27.2 | 30.2 | 33.7 |
| Full-time other | 10.5 | 8.3 | 7.7 |
| Part-time other | 9.1 | 8.4 | 9.7 |
| Husband’s education, % | |||
| High school diploma | 37.1 | 34.4 | 45.1 |
| Bachelor’s degree | 25.2 | 25.8 | 23.8 |
| Graduate degree | 21.6 | 24.3 | 17.5 |
| Missing | 16.1 | 15.6 | 13.6 |