Table 1.

Selected characteristics of women diagnosed with breast, colorectal or endometrial cancer in the Iowa Women’s Health Study according to response to the 2004 follow-up questionnaire

	Deceased Participants (n=1,389)		At 2004 follow-up
			Non-respondents1 (n=1,019)		Eligible Respondents (n=1,920)
	n	%	n	%	n	%
Baseline characteristics, 1986
Age ≥ 65 years	595	42.8	334	32.8	410	21.4
Post secondary education	519	37.5	376	37.0	851	44.4
General health, excellent	253	18.5	237	23.6	566	29.8
Body mass index ≥30kg/m2	458	33.0	286	28.1	494	25.7
Cigarette smoking, never	863	63.2	648	65.9	1333	69.4
Physical activity, low	719	52.8	450	45.6	888	46.8
Diabetes	162	11.7	48	4.7	73	3.8
Hypertension	606	43.6	405	39.7	679	35.4
Heart disease	63	4.5	22	2.2	34	1.8
Heart attack	151	10.9	75	7.4	122	6.4
Fracture	189	13.6	142	13.9	234	12.2
Comorbidity index2 ≥ 2	272	19.6	134	13.2	212	11.0
Cancer characteristics, 1986–2004
Type of Cancer
Breast	669	48.2	651	63.9	1216	63.3
Colorectal	544	39.2	248	24.3	464	24.2
Endometrial	176	12.7	120	11.8	240	12.5
Stage at diagnosis
In situ	64	4.7	102	10.1	234	12.3
Local	550	40.5	663	65.9	1250	65.7
Regional	463	34.1	230	22.9	403	21.2
Distant	280	20.6	11	1.1	16	0.8
Cancer Therapy Received
Surgery	1272	91.6	995	97.6	1907	99.3
Chemotherapy	335	24.1	168	16.5	347	18.1
Radiation therapy	281	20.2	246	24.1	448	23.3

¹Twenty nine ineligible respondents were excluded because smoking data was not available (n=21) or the women did not smoke in 1986 but did in 2004 (n=8).

²Comorbidity index is the sum of self-reported illness including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, heart attack, and fracture.