Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants, Seasonal Variation of Blood Cholesterol Study, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1994–1998 (N = 572)
| Variable | Total (N = 572) Mean (s.d.)/frequency (%) |
Male (n = 297) Mean (s.d.)/frequency (%) |
Female (n = 275) Mean (s.d.)/frequency (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic | |||
| Age (years) | 47.8 (12.3) | 48.3 (12.4) | 47.2 (12.0) |
| Ethnicity/race | |||
| White | 484 (86.7) | 250 (88.7) | 225 (84.6) |
| Hispanic | 44 (7.9) | 18 (6.16) | 26 (9.8) |
| Black | 15 (2.69) | 9 (3.08) | 6 (2.26) |
| Asian | 9 (1.61) | 3 (1.03) | 6 (2.26) |
| Other/unknown | 6 (1.08) | 3 (1.03) | 3 (1.13) |
| Education* | |||
| Less than high school | 32 (5.6) | 13 (4.4) | 19 (7.0) |
| High school or vocational degree | 137 (24.1) | 58 (19.6) | 79 (28.9) |
| Some college or Associates degree | 179 (31.5) | 99 (33.4) | 80 (29.3) |
| College/graduate | 221 (38.8) | 126 (42.6) | 95 (34.8) |
| Employment* | |||
| Full-time | 384 (67.4) | 224 (75.4) | 160 (58.6) |
| Part-time | 87 (15.3) | 31 (10.4) | 56 (20.5) |
| Not currently employed | 99 (17.4) | 42 (14.1) | 57 (20.9) |
| Marital Status | |||
| Single | 58 (10.18) | 29 (9.80) | 29 (10.58) |
| Married/living with partner | 440 (77. 19) | 242 (81.76) | 198 (72.26) |
| Separated/divorced | 50 (8.77) | 21 (7.09) | 29 (10.58) |
| Widowed | 22 (3.86) | 4 (1.35) | 18 (6.57) |
| Type of employment | |||
| Manual/blue collar (skill or craft/machine operator) | 87 (15.21) | 61 (20.54) | 26 (19.46) |
| Scientific/technical | 39 (6.82) | 27 (9.09) | 12 (4.36) |
| Service | 50 (8.74) | 24 (8.08) | 26 (9.45) |
| Sales/clinical/office | 67 (11.71) | 17 (5.72) | 50 (18. 18) |
| Administrative/management | 214 (37.41) | 123 (41.41) | 91 (33.09) |
| Anthropometric | |||
| Height (cm)* | 169.3 (10.0) | 176.4 (6.7) | 161.6 (6.8) |
| Weight (kg)* | 78.7 (18.0) | 87.0 (15.4) | 70.0 (16.4) |
| BMI classification*,a | |||
| Desirable (18.5–24.9) | 205 (37.5) | 81 (28.6) | 124 (47.0) |
| Overweight (25–29.9) | 210 (38.4) | 127 (44.9) | 83 (31.4) |
| Obese (≥30) | 132 (24.1) | 75 (26.5) | 57 (21.6) |
| BMI Mean* | 27.38 (5.5) | 27.9 (4.5) | 26.8 (6.3) |
| Lifestyle factors | |||
| Dietary intake | |||
| Daily caloric intake* (kcal/day) | 1,945 (677.2) | 2,227 (740.6) | 1,644 (434.9) |
| % calories from fat | 31.3 (7.7) | 31.8 (8.3) | 30.8 (6.9) |
| % calories from carbohydrate* | 51.6 (9.1) | 50.0 (9.7) | 53.3 (8.1) |
| % calories protein | 16.0 (3.6) | 16.1 (3.6) | 15.8 (3.6) |
| Dietary fiber intake* (g/day) | 16.1 (7.3) | 17.7 (8.1) | 14.4 (6.0) |
| Alcohol drinker* (defined as ≥1 drink/d) | 110 (20.0) | 79 (27.9) | 31 (11.7) |
| Physical activity (METs-h/d)b | |||
| Leisure-time physical activity (METs-h/d) | 2.02 (3.1) | 2.2 (3.5) | 1.8 (2.7) |
| Occupational physical activity* (METs-h/d) | 4.9 (7.0) | 6.5 (8.7) | 3.3 (4.1) |
| Household physical activity (METs-h/d) | 4.71 (5.0) | 4.4 (5.6) | 5.0 (4.3) |
| Total physical activity* (METs-h/d) | 30.6 (6.3) | 32.2 (7.6) | 29.0 (4.0) |
| Current smokingc | |||
| Yes | 96 (17.1) | 53 (18.4) | 43 (15.8) |
| Nod | 464 (82.9) | 235 (81.6) | 229 (84.2) |
| Psychosocial factors | |||
| Beck anxiety score* | 4.2 (5.4) | 3.5 (4.4) | 5.0 (6.1) |
| Beck depression score* | 6.1 (5.5) | 5.6 (4.9) | 6.6 (6.0) |
a
BMI (weight (kg)/height (m)2).
b
METs = metabolic equivalents; i.e., one MET equals energy expenditure at rest.
c
There were missing values, therefore total n for this variable differs from the overall total n.
d
Defined as never having smoked or having quit smoking at least 1 year before enrollment.
*
P value < 0.05 comparison values between men and women.