Table 2.
Characteristics of the subjects.
| Variable | Malay (n=310) | Chinese (n=371) | Overall (n=681) | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 47.0 (16.0) | 49.8 (11.7) | 48.6 (13.9) | 0.009 |
| Height (cm) | 165.8 (6.5) | 168.3 (6.2) | 167.2 (6.4) | <0.001 |
| Weight (kg) | 71.3 (13.7) | 68.4 (10.9) | 69.7 (12.4) | 0.003 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.9 (4.53) | 24.1 (3.48) | 24.9 (4.09 | <0.001 |
| Calcaneal SOS (m/s)† | 1521.0 (27.5) | 1515.8 (26.9) | 1518.2 (27.3) | 0.258 |
| TSH (mIU/l)†† | 1.37 (0.61) | 1.44 (0.60) | 1.41 (0.61) | 0.197 |
| FT4 (pmol/l)†† | 15.98 (1.89) | 15.72 (1.77) | 15.84 (1.82) | 0.186 |
| FT3 (pmol/l)††† | 5.11 (0.46) | 5.10 (0.46) | 5.11 (0.46) | 0.365 |
Abbr: SOS=speed of sound; TSH= thyroid stimulating hormone; FT3=free tri-iodothyronine; FT4=free thyroxine. †indicates the comparison is adjusted for age and BMI, †† for age only and ††† for age and weight. P-value in bold indicates a significant comparison (p<0.05) between Chinese and Malay subjects.