Table 1.
Distribution of population characteristics and betel nut use by carotid IMT quartile
| Characteristics | Quartile 1 | Quartile 2 | Quartile 3 | Quartile 4 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall [n = 1206] | (557.5–717.5 μm) [n = 307] | (717.5–770.0 μm) [n = 300] | (770.0–840.0 μm) [n = 299] | (840.0–1242.5 μm) [n = 300] | P* | |
| Carotid IMT (μm) | 790.2 | 682.9 | 745.2 | 803.0 | 932.1 | <0.01 |
| Male (%) | 39.0 | 23.5 | 37.0 | 38.8 | 57.0 | <0.01 |
| Age at IMT measurement (years) | 45.5 | 39.6 | 43.6 | 46.7 | 52.1 | <0.01 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 20.0 | 19.5 | 20.1 | 20.2 | 20.1 | 0.02 |
| Cigarette use (%) | <0.01 | |||||
| Past | 6.1 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 8.0 | 11.0 | |
| Current | 28.5 | 15.6 | 27.3 | 27.8 | 43.7 | |
| Betel nut use (%) | <0.01 | |||||
| Past | 3.6 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 6.0 | |
| Current | 36.0 | 27.0 | 28.3 | 39.5 | 49.3 | |
| Betel frequency among ever users (times/day) | 5.2 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 0.04 |
| Betel duration among ever users (years) | 11.0 | 6.1 | 10.4 | 11.1 | 13.8 | <0.01 |
| Education (years) | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 0.46 |
| Prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (%) | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 4.3 | <0.01 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 117.4 | 112.1 | 115.1 | 118.4 | 124.2 | <0.01 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 75.5 | 73.5 | 74.0 | 76.3 | 78.3 | <0.01 |
*Chi-square test was used for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables.