Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population (n = 553) in different alcohol consumption groups
| Characteristic | Reference (n = 242) | Very light consumption (n = 138) | Light consumption (n = 120) | Moderate-to-heavy consumption (n = 53) | P valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y, mean ± SD | 72.2±9.4 | 69.4±9.3** | 69.2±9.9** | 69.3±9.4* | <0.01 |
| Men, no. (%) | 33 (13.6) | 46 (33.3)** | 69 (57.5)** | 39 (73.6)** | <0.01 |
| Race/ethnicity, no. (%) | |||||
| Black | 35 (14.5) | 24 (17.4)* | 16 (13.3)** | 10 (18.9)** | |
| Hispanic | 189 (78.1) | 93 (67.4) | 75 (62.5) | 29 (54.7) | |
| White | 18 (7.4) | 21 (15.2) | 29 (24.2) | 14 (26.4) | <0.01 |
| Higher education, no. (%) | 90 (37.2) | 68 (49.3)* | 70 (58.3)** | 34 (64.2)** | <0.01 |
| BMI, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 29.1 (5.1) | 27.7 (4.7)* | 28.3 (4.7) | 26.9 (3.9)** | <0.01 |
| Obesity, no. (%) | 97 (40.3) | 38 (27.5)* | 37 (30.8) | 10 (18.9)** | <0.01 |
| Diabetes, no. (%) | 86 (35.5) | 34 (24.6)* | 29 (24.2)* | 12 (22.6) | <0.05 |
| Hypertension, no. (%) | 202 (83.5) | 98 (71.0)** | 85 (70.8)** | 41 (77.4) | <0.05 |
| Cigarette smoking, no. (%) | 91 (37.6) | 68 (49.3)* | 68 (56.7)** | 40 (75.5)** | <0. 01 |
| Hypercholesterolemia, no. (%) | 161 (66.8) | 79 (57.3) | 79 (57.3) | 27 (50.9)* | 0.07 |
| Serum HDL, mg/dl, mean (SD) | 53.0 (15.7) | 53.3 (16.8) | 52.8 (16.3) | 55.7 (19.0) | 0.72 |
| Antihypertensive medication, no. (%) | 191 (79.6) | 91 (68.9)* | 77 (67.0)** | 31 (63.3)* | <0.05 |
| CAD, no. (%) | 17 (7.0) | 12 (8.7) | 3 (2.5) | 4 (7.6) | 0.22 |
| Social support, no. (%) | 135 (55.8) | 97 (70.3)** | 66 (55) | 37 (69.8) | <0.05 |
| Social isolation, no. (%) | 124 (51.2) | 82 (59.4) | 80 (66.7)** | 34 (64.2) | <0.05 |
Higher education was defined as high school or higher degree.
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CAD, coronary artery disease; HDL, high-density lipoprotein.
a P value for the overall test.
*P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01 for the comparison vs. reference group.