Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of the Study Participants.
| Characteristic | Participants with Diabetes (N = 232) | Participants without Diabetes (N = 1835) |
|---|---|---|
| Member of original study cohort, 1994–1996 — no. (%) | 157 (67.7) | 1344 (73.2) |
| Age — yr | ||
| Median | 74 | 76 |
| Interquartile range | 71–78 | 71–81 |
| Female sex — no. (%) | 120 (51.7) | 1108 (60.4) |
| Race — no. (%)* | ||
| White | 190 (81.9) | 1673 (91.2) |
| Black | 28 (12.1) | 72 (3.9) |
| Asian | 9 (3.9) | 58 (3.2) |
| Other | 5 (2.2) | 32 (1.7) |
| Education beyond high school — no. (%) | 121 (52.2) | 1122 (61.1) |
| Apolipoprotein E ε4 allele — no. (%)† | 45 (22.2) | 416 (25.8) |
| Atrial fibrillation — no. (%) | 32 (13.8) | 201 (11.0) |
| Treated for hypertension — no. (%) | 189 (81.5) | 1248 (68.0) |
| Mean blood pressure — mm Hg | ||
| Systolic | ||
| Median | 143 | 139 |
| Interquartile range | 129–159 | 126–155 |
| Diastolic‡ | ||
| Median | 73 | 75 |
| Interquartile range | 66–80 | 68–82 |
| Coronary artery disease — no. (%)§ | 76 (32.8) | 434 (23.8) |
| Cerebrovascular disease — no. (%)¶ | 36 (15.7) | 207 (11.3) |
| Congestive heart failure — no. (%)|| | 15 (6.5) | 89 (4.9) |
| Regular exercise — no. (%)** | 162 (69.8) | 1300 (70.8) |
| Smoking status — no. (%)†† | ||
| Current smoker | 6 (2.6) | 98 (5.3) |
| Former smoker | 125 (53.9) | 853 (46.5) |
| Never smoked | 101 (43.5) | 883 (48.1) |
| Self-rated health fair or poor — no. (%) | 80 (34.5) | 344 (18.7) |
Race was self-reported.
Data on apolipoprotein E genotype were missing for 29 people with diabetes (12.5%) and 220 people without diabetes (12.0%).
Data on diastolic pressure were missing for 8 people with diabetes (3.4%) and 29 people without diabetes (1.6%).
Data on coronary artery disease were missing for 12 people without diabetes (0.7%).
Data on cerebrovascular disease were missing for 3 people with diabetes (1.3%) and 9 people without diabetes (0.5%).
Data on congestive heart failure were missing for 4 people without diabetes (0.2%).
Regular exercise was defined as 3 or more “activity days” per week, defined as days in which at least 15 minutes of exercise such as walking, bicycling, or swimming was performed. See the Supplementary Appendix for further details.
Data on smoking were missing for 1 person without diabetes (0.1%).