Table 1.
General characteristics of the participants of the Control of Blood Pressure and Risk Attenuation (COBRA) study at baseline, 2004 (n 5491)
(Mean values and standard deviations, or percentages)
| Characteristics | Men (n 2500) | Women (n 2991) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | <0·01 | ||
| Mean | 41·2 | 40·1 | |
| sd | 16·1 | 15·6 | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | <0·01 | ||
| Mean | 23·3 | 25·4 | |
| sd | 4·8 | 5·9 | |
| Waist circumference (cm) | <0·01 | ||
| Mean | 86·4 | 82·8 | |
| sd | 14·0 | 13·7 | |
| Waist:hip ratio | <0·01 | ||
| Mean | 0·92 | 0·83 | |
| sd | 0·1 | 0·1 | |
| Education (%) | <0·01 | ||
| No formal education | 16·6 | 33·4 | |
| Primary–middle school | 36·0 | 28·0 | |
| Secondary–intermediate | 32·5 | 28·9 | |
| Graduate and above | 14·8 | 9·7 | |
| Marital status (%) | <0·01 | ||
| Single | 27·9 | 19·2 | |
| Married | 68·4 | 64·5 | |
| Divorced/separated/widowed | 3·7 | 16·3 | |
| Occupation (%) | <0·01 | ||
| Employed | 76·1 | 12·3 | |
| BMI* (%) | <0·01 | ||
| <18 kg/m2 (underweight) | 14·4 | 9·9 | |
| 18–22·9 kg/m2 (normal weight) | 35·6 | 26·6 | |
| 23–24·9 kg/m2 (overweight) | 15·8 | 14·7 | |
| ≥ 25 kg/m2 (obese) | 34·1 | 48·7 | |
| Waist circumference (%) | <0·01 | ||
| Suboptimal/risk for disease† | 40·2 | 57·5 | |
| Waist:hip ratio (%) | <0·01 | ||
| Suboptimal/risk for disease‡ | 15·1 | 40·7 | |
| Physical activity (%) | <0·01 | ||
| < 5 MET h/week | 28·7 | 46·4 | |
| 5–10 MET h/week | 17·2 | 15·2 | |
| >10 MET h/week | 54·2 | 38·4 | |
| Tobacco use§ (%) | <0·01 | ||
| Non-tobacco user | 39·8 | 78·4 | |
| Current tobacco user | 48·7 | 19·0 | |
| Past tobacco user | 11·4 | 2·5 |
MET, metabolic equivalent task.
* Asian-specific criteria.
† Waist circumference: male ≥90 cm and female ≥80 cm (Asian-specific criteria).
‡ Waist:hip ratio: male ≥1·0 and female ≥0·85 (Asian-specific criteria).
§ Tobacco use: those who neither smoke nor used tobacco ever are non-tobacco users; current users are those who smoke or chew tobacco at the time of the survey; past tobacco users are those who have smoked or chewed tobacco before the time of the survey.