Table 1.
Characteristics of the sample in relation to sex specific walking speed groups (mean±SD)
| Variable | All (n=530) | Slowest (n=188) | Medium (n=180) | Fastest (n=162) |
| Age (years) | 62.8±5.7 | 63.7±5.8 | 62.7±5.7 | 62.4±5.3† |
| Work grade (% lower grades) | 24.2 | 26.1 | 24.4 | 15.4† |
| Marital status (% married) | 63.5 | 62.6 | 68.0 | 62.7 |
| Current smokers (%) | 6.2 | 6.4 | 4.4 | 5.6 |
| Alcohol (units/week) | 9.0±8.6 | 9.8±9.9 | 9.2±9.2 | 8.3±7.5 |
| Prescribed lipid-lowering medication (%) | 2.4 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 0.6 |
| SF-36 physical function score | 82.8±14.0 | 80.3±15.0 | 84.0±13.5‡ | 84.3±12.8‡ |
| Self-rated health (% fair) | 4.7 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 2.5† |
| Moderate-vigorous activity (MET h/week)* | 34.5±29.6 | 32.6±27.4 | 35.6±26.4 | 35.6±34.6 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 123.2±16.6 | 125.6±17.1 | 122.8±16.9 | 123.5±14.9 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 25.6±4.1 | 26.2±4.1 | 25.7±3.6 | 25.6±3.9 |
| Body fat % | 30.8±8.3 | 31.4±0.4 | 30.7±0.4 | 30.1±0.4‡ |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l) | 5.89±0.94 | 5.88±0.97 | 5.97±1.00 | 5.72±1.01 |
| HDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 1.72±0.48 | 1.68±0.47 | 1.71±0.44 | 1.71±0.50 |
| LDL cholesterol (mmol/l) | 3.91±0.95 | 3.95±0.93 | 4.00±0.97 | 3.76±0.94‡ |
| Log C-reactive protein | 2.44±0.14 | 2.46±0.16 | 2.43±0.13 | 2.43±0.14‡ |
| Fasting glucose (mmol/l) | 5.18±0.51 | 5.16±0.56 | 5.18±0.49 | 5.21±0.45 |
*
Metabolic equivalents (MET) defined from moderate (3–6 MET) to vigorous (>6 MET) physical activity.
†
Significant difference compared with slowest walkers.
‡
Significant difference compared with slowest walkers in age-adjusted analyses.
HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; SF-36, short-form 36.