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. 2008 Dec 15;6(1):A14.

Table 2.

Prevalence of Risk Factors for Chronic Disease Among Men Aged ≥50 Years by Body Mass Index, National Health Interview Survey, 2005

Characteristic Participants at a Healthy Weighta (n = 1,569), Weighted % (95% CI) Overweightb Participants (n = 2,549), Weighted % (95% CI) Obesec Participants (n = 1,380), Weighted % (95% CI)
Functional limitationd
Absent 74.4 (71.8-76.8) 81.3 (79.5-82.9) 71.2 (68.5-73.8)
Present 25.6 (23.2-28.2) 18.7 (17.1-20.5) 28.8 (26.2-31.5)
Overall health status
Good to excellent 78.0 (75.6-80.2) 84.9 (83.4-86.3) 75.1 (72.5-77.5)
Poor to fair 22.0 (19.8-24.4) 15.1 (13.7-16.6) 24.9 (22.5-27.5)
Smoking status
Nonsmoker 40.0 (37.3-42.8) 39.9 (37.7-42.1) 36.8 (33.9-39.8)
Former smoker 38.0 (35.3-40.9) 43.9 (41.6-46.2) 47.5 (44.5-50.5)
Current smoker 22.0 (19.6-24.6) 16.2 (14.6-18.1) 15.7 (13.5-18.2)
Alcohol intakee
None 42.9 (39.9-46.0) 36.7 (34.4-38.9) 38.0 (35.1-41.0)
Occasional, light, or moderate 51.5 (48.5-54.4) 58.9 (56.7-61.1) 57.9 (55.0-60.7)
Heavy 5.6 (4.4-7.3) 4.5 (3.6-5.5) 4.1 (3.2-5.3)
Servings per day of fruits and vegetablesf
<2 30.0 (27.4-32.8) 31.3 (29.3-33.4) 36.8 (33.6-40.1)
2 to <3.5 39.7 (36.7-42.7) 42.3 (40.0-44.6) 43.7 (40.5-46.9)
≥3.5 30.3 (27.4-33.3) 26.4 (24.4-28.5) 19.6 (17.0-22.4)
Leisure-time physical activityg
Inactive 44.9 (41.9-48.0) 40.6 (38.4-43.0) 48.6 (45.3-52.0)
Insufficient 24.5 (22.1-27.0) 28.4 (26.4-30.5) 31.7 (28.9-34.6)
Recommended 30.6 (27.9-33.5) 31.0 (28.8-33.2) 19.7 (17.1-22.5)
Walking for leisureh
Yes 14.6 (12.6-16.8) 13.7 (12.3-15.3) 7.3 (5.8-9.2)
No 85.4 (83.2-87.4) 86.3 (84.7-87.7) 92.7 (90.8-94.2)
Walking for transportationi
Yes 6.9 (5.7-8.3) 5.6 (4.7-6.8) 4.0 (2.9-5.5)
No 93.1 (91.7-94.3) 94.4 (93.2-95.3) 96.0 (94.5-97.1)
Strength trainingj
Yes 16.7 (14.7-19.0) 17.2 (15.6-19.0) 11.4 (9.6-13.5)
No 83.3 (81.0-85.3) 82.8 (81.0-84.4) 88.6 (86.5-90.4)

Abbreviation: CI, confidence interval.

a

Body mass index (BMI), 18.5-24.9 kg/m2.

b

BMI, 25.0-29.9 kg/m2.

c

BMI, ≥30.0 kg/m2.

d

People who report any difficulty with 1 or more functional activities.

e

Drinking levels were determined using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005 (16), which recommends a sex-specific cutpoint of 1 drink or fewer per day for women and 2 drinks or fewer per day for men. Respondents who consumed alcohol in excess of the recommended levels were considered heavy drinkers.

f

Respondents were asked how frequently they consumed the following foods during the past month: fruit, fruit juice, green salad, potatoes (excluding french fries, fried potatoes, and potato chips), and other vegetables. We calculated servings per day of fruits and vegetables and divided results into approximate tertiles.

g

Respondents who reported engaging in ≥30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on ≥5 days per week and/or ≥20 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity on ≥3 days per week were categorized as meeting the recommended level (17,18). Respondents who reported some activity but at a lower-than-recommended level were categorized as "insufficient," and respondents who reported no physical activity in a usual week were categorized as "inactive."

h

Participants were asked whether they walked outdoors for at least 10 minutes at a time for fun, relaxation, or exercise, or to walk a dog.

i

Walking for transportation was assessed with questions about respondents' number of days of walking during the previous week and the average total daily duration of trips (ie, walking to work or school, to a store or to do an errand, to the bus, or to a neighbor's house) that took at least 10 minutes. Respondents were categorized as walking for transportation (yes) if they reported such walking on ≥5 days in the past week for ≥30 minutes or more each day and as no if they did not.

j

Respondents were considered to have engaged in muscle-strengthening activity (eg, lifting weights, calisthenics) (yes) if they reported 2 or more days per week.