Table 1. Baseline population characteristics of the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study, 1995–2006.
| Depression | ||
| Cases | Controls | |
| N | 11,311 | 252,612 |
| Baseline age in years, mean (SD) | 61.1 (5.6) | 61.6 (5.3) |
| Men, % | 48.5 | 61.2 |
| Race, % | ||
| Non-Hispanic Whites | 92.9 | 92.6 |
| Others | 6.0 | 6.5 |
| Missing | 1.1 | 1.0 |
| Education, % | ||
| High school or less | 25.3 | 21.7 |
| Post high school | 10.9 | 9.3 |
| Some college | 25.3 | 22.5 |
| College and above | 35.9 | 44.2 |
| Missing | 2.6 | 2.2 |
| Marital status, % | ||
| Married/living as married | 67.7 | 71.9 |
| Widowed | 10.0 | 9.9 |
| Divorced | 17.1 | 12.9 |
| Separated | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| Never married | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Unknown | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Smokers, % | ||
| Never | 33.7 | 38.8 |
| Past | 51.5 | 50.8 |
| Current | 13.6 | 9.1 |
| Missing | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2), Mean (SD) | 27.5 (5.4) | 26.9 (4.8) |
| Physical activity, % | ||
| Never or rarely | 20.5 | 14.8 |
| 1–3 times/month | 15.4 | 13.3 |
| 1–2 times/week | 21.5 | 22.1 |
| 3–4 times/week | 25.5 | 28.4 |
| ≥5 times/week | 16.3 | 20.7 |
| Missing | 0.8 | 0.7 |
| Self-reported health status, % | ||
| Excellent/very good | 43.0 | 58.3 |
| Good | 39.3 | 32.6 |
| Fair | 14.7 | 7.2 |
| Poor | 1.6 | 0.6 |
| Missing | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| History of diabetes, % | 9.6 | 6.9 |
| History of heart disease, % | 13.8 | 11.6 |
| History of cancer, % | 7.9 | 7.6 |
| Energy intake (kcal/day), Mean (SD) | 1799 (931) | 1755 (822) |
| Alcoholic beverages (drinks/day), % | ||
| None | 24.4 | 21.0 |
| <1 | 55.1 | 54.4 |
| 1–1.99 | 10.4 | 12.9 |
| 2–2.99 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| ≥3 | 6.6 | 7.7 |