TABLE 3.
Selected baseline characteristics according to quintile of DASH diet score1
| DASH diet quintile |
||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | P | |
| n | 18,465 | 18,216 | 20,220 | 17,808 | 18,413 | |
| Age (y) | 62.5 ± 72 | 63.4 ± 7 | 63.8 ± 7 | 64.1 ± 7 | 64.2 ± 7 | <0.01 |
| Daily energy (kcal) | 1524 ± 914 | 1432 ± 719 | 1482 ± 625 | 1567 ± 577 | 1753 ± 546 | <0.01 |
| Race (%) | <0.01 | |||||
| White (non-Hispanic) | 72.6 | 81.1 | 85.2 | 88.0 | 90.6 | |
| African American | 15.2 | 9.3 | 6.7 | 5.4 | 4.4 | |
| Hispanic/Latino | 6.3 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.1 | |
| Family income (%) | <0.01 | |||||
| <$20,000 | 23.9 | 18.2 | 14.5 | 13.0 | 11.2 | |
| $20,000–$74,999 | 61.6 | 63.6 | 64.1 | 64.1 | 64.4 | |
| ≥$75,000 | 14.5 | 18.2 | 21.3 | 22.9 | 24.4 | |
| Smoking status (%) | <0.01 | |||||
| Never smoker | 49.2 | 49.9 | 51.9 | 51.6 | 51.9 | |
| Former smoker | 38.4 | 42.3 | 43.0 | 44.7 | 45.6 | |
| Current smoker | 12.4 | 7.7 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 2.5 | |
| Physical activity (MET-h/wk) | 8.8 ± 12 | 11.5 ± 13 | 13.7 ± 14 | 15.8 ± 15 | 18.7 ± 16 | <0.01 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 28.8 ± 7 | 27.7 ± 6 | 27.1 ± 6 | 26.6 ± 5 | 26.1 ± 5 | <0.01 |
| Waist-to-hip ratio (%) | <0.01 | |||||
| Quartile 1 (0.28–0.76) | 21.0 | 24.8 | 28.6 | 30.1 | 34.1 | |
| Quartile 2 (0.77–0.80) | 23.0 | 24.9 | 26.2 | 26.6 | 27.2 | |
| Quartile 3 (0.81–0.86) | 26.2 | 25.3 | 23.8 | 23.4 | 21.7 | |
| Quartile 4 (0.87–2.88) | 29.8 | 25.0 | 21.5 | 19.7 | 17.0 | |
| Resting pulse (beats/min) | 70.5 ± 12 | 69.8 ± 12 | 69.1 ± 12 | 68.8 ± 12 | 68.3 ± 12 | <0.01 |
| Self-reported disease history (%) | ||||||
| Coronary artery disease | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.4 | 7.2 | 6.2 | <0.01 |
| Diabetes | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.4 | <0.01 |
| Hypertension | 71.7 | 69.2 | 66.8 | 66.0 | 63.5 | <0.01 |
| Congestive heart failure | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.7 | <0.01 |
1
A higher score indicates greater similarity between the reported diet and DASH diet. P values were calculated with the chi-square test for comparisons when at least one categorical variable was nominal or a test for linear trend using ANOVA for continuous variables, or the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test if both categorical variables were ordinal. DASH, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension; MET-h, metabolic equivalent task hours.
2
Mean ± SD (all such values).