TABLE 2.
Baseline characteristics of REGARDS participants and associations with stress and depressive symptoms.
| Characteristic | N (col %) | PSS mean (SD) |
P-value* | CES-D mean (SD) |
P-value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||||
| Age(mean, SD) | 64.8 (9.4) | −0.09† | <0.001 | −0.07† | <0.001 |
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 13,551 (44.9) | 3.6 (3.0) | <0.001 | 0.9 (1.8) | <0.001 |
| Female | 16,632 (55.1) | 2.7 (2.7) | 1.4 (2.3) | ||
| Race | |||||
| White | 17,669 (58.5) | 2.9 (2.8) | <0.001 | 1.0 (1.9) | <0.001 |
| Black | 12,514 (41.5) | 3.6 (3.1) | 1.4 (2.3) | ||
| Region | |||||
| Non-Belt | 13,429 (44.5) | 3.1 (2.9) | <0.001 | 1.1 (2.0) | <0.001 |
| Belt | 10,447 (34.6) | 3.3 (3.0) | 1.2 (2.1) | ||
| Buckle | 6,307 (20.9) | 3.3 (3.0) | 1.2 (2.2) | ||
| Income | |||||
| <$20,000 | 5,478 (18.2) | 4.2 (3.4) | <0.001 | 2.1 (2.7) | <0.001 |
| $20,000–34,000 | 7,307 (24.2) | 3.3 (2.9) | 1.2 (2.1) | ||
| $35,000–74,000 | 8,914 (29.5) | 2.8 (2.7) | 0.8 (1.7) | ||
| ≥$75,000 | 4,754 (15.7) | 2.5 (2.4) | 0.6 (1.3) | ||
| Missing | 3,730 (12.4) | 3.3 (3.0) | 1.2 (2.1) | ||
| Education | |||||
| Less than High School | 3,792 (12.6) | 4.1 (3.4) | <0.001 | 2.0 (2.7) | <0.001 |
| High School Graduate | 7,804 (25.9) | 3.4 (3.0) | 1.3 (2.2) | ||
| Some College | 8,090 (26.8) | 3.1 (2.9) | 1.1 (2.0) | ||
| College Graduate | 10,472 (34.7) | 2.7 (2.6) | 0.8 (1.6) | ||
| Missing | 25 (0.1) | 3.6 (3.5) | 1.9 (3.0) | ||
| Health Behaviors | |||||
| Tobacco Use | |||||
| Never | 13,604 (45.1) | 3.2 (2.9) | <0.001 | 1.1 (1.9) | <0.001 |
| Past | 9,856 (32.7) | 3.0 (2.8) | 1.0 (1.9) | ||
| Current | 1,187 (3.9) | 3.8 (3.3) | 1.8 (2.7) | ||
| Missing | 593 (2.0) | 3.1 (2.9) | 1.2 (2.4) | ||
| Alcohol Use | |||||
| None | 18,547 (61.5) | 3.3 (3.0) | <0.001 | 1.3 (2.1) | <0.001 |
| Moderate | 9,856 (32.7) | 2.9 (2.8) | 1.0 (1.9) | ||
| Heavy | 1,187 (3.9) | 2.8 (2.9) | 1.2 (2.2) | ||
| Missing | 593 (2.0) | 3.6 (3.2) | 1.6 (2.5) | ||
| Chronic Medical Conditions | |||||
| Chronic Kidney Disease | |||||
| Yes | 3,291 (10.9) | 3.2 (3.0) | 0.32 | 1.2 (2.0) | 0.13 |
| No | 26,892 (89.1) | 3.2 (2.9) | 1.2 (2.1) | ||
| Chronic Lung Disease | |||||
| Yes | 2,765 (9.2) | 3.6 (3.1) | <0.001 | 1.5 (2.4) | <0.001 |
| No | 27,418 (90.8) | 3.2 (2.9) | 1.1 (2.0) | ||
| Diabetes | |||||
| Yes | 6,814 (22.7) | 3.6 (3.2) | <0.001 | 1.5 (2.4) | <0.001 |
| No | 23,267 (77.4) | 3.1 (2.9) | 1.1 (2.0) | ||
| Hypertension | |||||
| Yes | 17,847 (59.3) | 3.3 (3.0) | <0.001 | 1.3 (2.2) | <0.001 |
| No | 12,262 (40.7) | 3.0 (2.8) | 1.0 (1.9) | ||
| Myocardial Infarction | |||||
| Yes | 3,773 (12.8) | 3.4 (2.9) | <0.001 | 1.4 (2.3) | <0.001 |
| No | 25,823 (87.3) | 3.1 (2.9) | 1.1 (2.0) | ||
| Obesity (abnormal BMI or WC) | |||||
| Yes | 16,143 (53.6) | 3.4 (3.0) | <0.001 | 1.3 (2.2) | <0.001 |
| No | 13,992 (46.4) | 3.0 (2.8) | 1.0 (1.9) | ||
| Stroke | |||||
| Yes | 1,930 (6.4) | 4.1 (3.3) | <0.001 | 1.8 (2.5) | <0.001 |
| No | 28,151 (93.6) | 3.1 (2.9) | 1.1 (2.0) |
Stress characterized by the short form of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS).(20) Depressive symptoms characterized by the short form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies DepressionScale (CES-D).(18)
*
P-values reflect t-tests for binary variables, ANOVA for categorical variables, and Pearson’s correlation for continuous variables.
†
Pearson’s correlation.