Table 2.
Comparison of health-related characteristics between participants and non-participants measured before the onset of the lifestyle project
| Participants (n = 400) % (n) |
Non-participants (n = 1459) % (n) |
p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMI | |||
| - < 18.5 | 1 (3) | 1 (16) | .168 |
| - 18.5-24.9 | 64 (254) | 61 (874) | |
| - 25-29.9 | 30 (118) | 31 (441) | |
| - > 30 | 5 (20) | 8 (113) | |
| Physical activity | |||
| - Sedentary | 8 (30) | 16 (227) | .0005 |
| - Physically active | 93 (370) | 84 (1226) | |
| Sleep disturbances | |||
| - Yes | 21 (82) | 26 (381) | .025 |
| - No | 79 (314) | 74 (1073) | |
| HAD-D score | |||
| - < 7 | 86 (335) | 83 (1189) | .159 |
| - ≥ 7 | 14 (55) | 17 (245) | |
| Feeling about going to work | 84 (335) | 79 (1133) | .008 |
| - Positive | 12 (48) | 13 (185) | |
| - Neutral | 4 (16) | 8.5 (122) | |
| - Uneasy | |||
| Self-reported health | |||
| - Very good/good | 87 (346) | 83 (1208) | .064 |
| - Neither good nor bad | 11 (43) | 12 (174) | |
| - Not good | 3 (10) | 5 (74) | |
| Educational level1 | .435 | ||
| - Lower | 39 (140) | 37 (496) | |
| - Higher | 61 (216) | 63 (842) |
Only persons replying to the question at the four year follow-up whether they had participated in the Lifestyle in the West project are included in the analysis (n = 1859)
BMI = Body mass index.
HAD-D = Subscale depression of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A score of ≥ 7 is used to indicate a relative lack of joy/happiness.
1 Lower = high school/vocational; Higher = college/university. Missing are those responding to 'other professions' that could not be categorized into lower or higher education.