Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of the study population by gender using weighted estimates: from the NHANES 1999–2006.
| Variables | Men | Women | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean or percentage (SE) | Mean or percentage (SE) | ||
| Age (yrs) | 41.30 (0.58) | 43.56 (0.64) | <0.05 |
| Marital status (%) | |||
| Married | 52.00 (2.27) | 39.28 (1.65) | <0.0001 |
| Single | 48.00 (2.27) | 60.71 (1.65) | |
| Income (%) | |||
| Less than $20,000 | 28.91 (1.65) | 37.08 (2.55) | |
| $20,000–44,900 | 37.10 (1.94) | 34.70 (2.16) | <0.05 |
| $45,000 or above | 33.99 (2.06) | 28.22 (2.10) | |
| Education (%) | |||
| Less than high school | 31.70 (2.45) | 24.09 (1.86) | |
| High school | 25.39 (1.83) | 23.78 (1.67) | <0.05 |
| College or above | 42.91 (2.10) | 52.13 (1.83) | |
| Alcohol drinking (%) | |||
| Nondrinkers | 34.15 (2.34) | 49.26 (1.85) | |
| Moderate drinkers | 35.06 (1.73) | 25.24 (1.33) | <0.0001 |
| Heavy drinkers | 30.79 (2.41) | 25.50 (1.64) | |
| Cigarette smoking (%) | |||
| Nonsmokers | 71.41 (2.04) | 84.13 (1.59) | |
| Light smokers | 15.78 (1.53) | 10.20 (1.30) | <0.0001 |
| Heavy smokers | 12.80 (1.84) | 5.67 (0.97) | |
| Physical activity (%) | |||
| Inactive | 39.03 (2.01) | 45.40 (1.99) | |
| Low activity | 18.30 (1.56) | 22.18 (1.75) | <0.05 |
| Medium activity | 11.26 (1.10) | 12.83 (1.48) | |
| High activity | 31.42 (1.91) | 19.59 (1.76) | |
| Diastolic BP (mm Hg) | 74.38 (0.61) | 71.28 (0.54) | <0.05 |
| Systolic BP (mm Hg) | 128.28 (0.78) | 126.58 (0.91) | 0.15 |
| Elevated BP (%) | 49.71 (2.36) | 50.06 (1.89) | 0.53 |
| Fasting glucose (mg/dL) | 103.49 (1.33) | 102.86 (1.29) | 0.87 |
| Triglyceride (mg/dL) | 119.20 (4.24) | 100.70 (2.29) | <0.05 |
| HDL-C (mg/dL) | 51.56 (0.55) | 58.62 (0.59) | <0.0001 |
| Abdominal obesity (%) | 34.47 (2.16) | 73.46 (1.65) | <0.0001 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 97.02 (0.70) | 99.68 (0.61) | <0.05 |
| Metabolic syndrome (%) | 26.77 (1.85) | 39.43 (1.52) | <0.0001 |