Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics Among Chinese Women and Men, the People's Republic of China Study (1987–1988)
| Variables | Women (n = 1,776) | Men (n = 1,144) |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 44.8 (8.0) | 45.1 (8.3) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 21.0 (2.8) | 20.6 (2.5) |
| Body mass index category (%) | ||
| <18.5 kg/m2 | 18.2 | 18.9 |
| 18.5 to <23.0 kg/m2 | 62.6 | 65.4 |
| 23.0 to <25.0 kg/m2 | 10.8 | 10.1 |
| 25.0 to <27.5 kg/m2 | 5.9 | 4.3 |
| 27.5 to <30.0 kg/m2 | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| 30.0 to <32.5 kg/m2 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| ≥32.5 kg/m2 | 0 | 0 |
| Waist circumference (cm), mean (SD) | 70.5 (7.8) | 73.2 (7.6) |
| Central obesitya (%) | 13.4 | 3.4 |
| Hip circumference (cm), mean (SD) | 88.1 (6.3) | 87.4 (5.4) |
| Hip circumference, 15th percentile (cm) | 82.0 | 82.0 |
| Hip circumference, 85th percentile (cm) | 94.0 | 93.0 |
| Current cigarette or leaf smokers (%) | 3.0 | 66.1 |
| Current drinkers (%) | 15.1 | 59.4 |
| Exercise | ||
| No | 83.8 | 79.6 |
| Occasionally | 4.5 | 5.4 |
| Regularly | 8.6 | 13.5 |
| Educational attainment (%) | ||
| <Senior middle school | 82.2 | 79.0 |
| Senior middle school | 14.6 | 17.6 |
| >Senior middle school | 3.2 | 3.4 |
| Center (rural) (%) | 56.6 | 59.7 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean (SD) | 112.1 (15.8) | 113.3 (14.8) |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg), mean (SD) | 72.0 (9.5) | 73.6 (9.9) |
| Glucose (mmol/L), mean (SD) | 4.4 (1.1) | 4.1 (0.9) |
| HDL-C (mmol/L), mean (SD) | 1.4 (0.3) | 1.4 (0.4) |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L), mean (SD) | 1.3 (1.0) | 1.3 (1.1) |
a
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for Asians, central obesity is defined as a waist circumference ≥ 90 cm in males and ≥ 80 cm in females.
SD, standard deviation; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.