Table 2.
Mean SF-36 mental component score for Whitehall II participants, 1991-2004, with numbers in cohort shown in brackets
| Study phase (age range) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 3 (39-63*) | Phase 4 (42-65) | Phase 5 (45-69) | Phase 6 (48-71) | Phase 7 (50-74) | |
| Men | |||||
| Age (years) at phase 3: | |||||
| 39-44 | 49.9 (1559) | 47.9 (1391) | 48.6 (1285) | 49.1 (1210) | 49.7 (1247) |
| 45-49 | 50.6 (1596) | 49.5 (1446) | 51.0 (1344) | 51.6 (1250) | 52.4 (1296) |
| 50-54 | 51.9 (1134) | 51.2 (1042) | 52.6 (963) | 53.7 (919) | 54.2 (918) |
| 55-59 | 53.5 (1440 | 53.7 (1341) | 54.1 (1237) | 53.9 (1186) | 54.4 (1134) |
| Employment grade: | |||||
| High | 51.7 (2766) | 51.3 (2688) | 52.2 (2572) | 52.6 (2541) | 52.8 (2604) |
| Middle | 51.1 (2582) | 49.9 (2317) | 51.0 (2089) | 51.5 (1909) | 52.3 (1917) |
| Low | 51.3 (381) | 47.8 (325) | 48.5 (250) | 48.1 (212) | 49.9 (173) |
| Retirement status: | |||||
| Not retired | 51.2 (5158) | 49.6 (4418) | 50.5 (3559) | 51.1 (2964) | 51.3 (2709) |
| Retired | 53.6 (563) | 54.5 (912) | 54.0 (1348) | 53.4 (1698) | 54.2 (19850 |
| Women | |||||
| Age (years) at phase 3: | |||||
| 39-44 | 48.0 (577) | 47.3 (514) | 46.6 (471) | 47.9 (449) | 49.1 (454) |
| 45-49 | 49.1 (635) | 47.6 (570) | 48.6 (519) | 49.9 (466) | 50.6 (489) |
| 50-54 | 50.5 (554) | 49.1 (459) | 50.5 (419) | 51.9 (392) | 52.5 (390) |
| 55-59 | 52.5 (797) | 51.8 (719) | 52.7 (567) | 52.2 (593) | 53.0 (542) |
| Employment grade: | |||||
| High | 49.6 (403) | 49.4 (407) | 50.0 (406) | 50.8 (440) | 52.1 (440) |
| Middle | 49.8 (1155) | 48.5 (1063) | 49.2 (951) | 50.5 (976) | 50.8 (963) |
| Low | 51.0 (1005) | 49.6 (870) | 50.2 (660) | 50.3 (524) | 51.7 (519) |
| Retirement status: | |||||
| Not retired | 50.1 (2292) | 48.3 (1785) | 48.7 (1373) | 49.3 (1032) | 49.8 (936) |
| Retired | 51.1 (271) | 51.6 (555) | 51.8 (642) | 51.9 (908) | 52.8 (986) |
*In women the age range for phase 3 was 39-64.