Table 1.

Characteristics of Respondents in the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study, Maryland, 1993–2004^a

	Wave 3: Overall (N = 942)		Wave 3				P Value	Wave 4				P Value
			Whites (n = 601)		Blacks (n = 341)			Whites (n = 601)		Blacks (n = 341)
Age, years (mean, SD)	46.9	11.8	47.9	12.7	45.2	9.8	0.031	58.8	12.8	56.1	9.9	0.025
Female	584	62.0	346	57.6	238	69.8	<0.001	346	57.6	238	69.8	<0.001
No. of years of education (mean, SD)	12.5	2.6	12.6	2.6	12.2	2.7	0.035	12.7	2.7	12.4	2.7	0.067
Employed in the past year	306	32.5	185	30.8	121	35.5	0.139	243	40.4	141	41.4	0.783
Gross household income
$≥70,000	138	14.7	110	18.3	28	8.2		243	40.4	69	20.2
$35,000–$69,999	327	34.7	246	40.9	81	23.8		163	27.1	80	23.5
$17,500–$34,999	223	23.7	130	21.6	93	27.3	<0.001	88	14.6	78	22.9	<0.001
$10,000–$17,499	137	14.5	75	12.5	62	18.2		82	13.6	55	16.1
<$10,000	117	12.4	40	6.7	77	22.6		25	4.2	59	17.3
No. of negative life events (median, range)	2	1–6	2	1–5	2	1–6	0.021	2	0–5	2	0–5	0.019
Life stressb (median, range)	8	1–25	7	1–25	9	1–22	0.002	5	1–25	6	1–25	0.002
PHB
Body mass indexc ≥30 kg/m2	240	28.3	131	24.3	109	35.4	0.001	200	36.9	162	51.9	<0.001
Rarely/never eat 3 balanced meals/day	509	54.1	303	50.5	206	60.4	0.003	281	46.8	205	60.1	<0.001
Current smoker	333	35.4	186	30.9	147	43.2	<0.001	149	24.9	121	35.5	<0.001
Drink >2 drinks/dayd on days when drinking alcohol	197	21.1	140	23.4	57	16.9	0.020	89	15.1	49	14.5	0.817
Collapsed PHB variable used for analysis
Zero behaviors	208	22.1	160	26.6	48	14.1		164	27.4	47	13.8
1 behavior	333	35.4	206	34.3	127	37.2	<0.001	222	37.1	109	32.1	<0.001
≥2 behaviors	401	42.6	235	39.1	166	48.7		213	35.6	184	54.1
Depression and distress indicators
DSM depression syndrome	148	15.7	107	17.8	41	12.0	0.019	106	17.6	33	9.7	0.001
GHQ score (mean, SD)	15.1	6.2	14.9	5.9	15.4	6.7	0.366	15.7	6.7	15.7	6.9	0.960
High GHQ distress	430	45.7	264	43.9	166	46.7	0.159	263	49.3	161	49.8	0.866
Health burden
No. of chronic conditions (median, range)	1	0–7	1	0–7	1	0–7	0.137	2	0–7	2	0–6	0.010
High health burden	143	16.0	81	14.2	62	19.0	0.059	157	26.1	115	33.7	0.013

Abbreviations: DSM, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; GHQ, General Health Questionnaire; PHB, poor health behaviors; SD, standard deviation.

^aValues are expressed as number and percent unless otherwise noted. P values for chi-squared tests for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney tests for continuous variables comparing whites and blacks within each wave.

^bCalculated as negative life events weighted by expectedness.

^cTotal number of respondents for body mass index ≥30 = 848.

^dTotal number of respondents for drinks per day = 936.