Table 1. Characteristics of the study sample of 1727 participants from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development at age 60–64.
| Men (n = 837) | Women (n = 890) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (y) | 63.2 (1.1) | 63.3 (1.0) |
| Strength and physical performance a | ||
| Grip strength (kg) | 46.4 (11.5) | 27.0 (7.5) |
| Chair rise speed (stands/min) | 26.2 (7.3) | 24.9 (7.3) |
| Standing balance time (ln/s) | 1.6 (0.6) | 1.6 (0.5) |
| TUG speed (m/s) | 0.7 (0.2) | 0.7 (0.1) |
| Sedentary time and physical activity | ||
| Time spent sedentary (hours/day; including sleep time) | 17.4 (2.2) | 17.3 (2.0) |
| Time spent in MVPA (min/day) | 90.5 (64.9) | 79.9 (54.9) |
| PAEE (kJ/kg/day) | 38.1 (15.7) | 34.2 (13.3) |
| Anthropometry b | ||
| Height (cm) | 174.8 (6.6) | 161.7 (6.0) |
| Weight (kg) | 85.0 (13.6) | 73.2 (14.8) |
| Education level c | ||
| Degree or higher | 134 (16.9) | 54 (6.4) |
| A levels or equivalent | 354 (44.7) | 460 (54.4) |
| GCE, O levels or equivalent | 46 (5.8) | 77 (9.1) |
| None | 258 (32.6) | 254 (30.1) |
| Occupational class d | ||
| Higher | 462 (55.5) | 355 (40.1) |
| Intermediate | 293 (35.2) | 378 (42.7) |
| Manual | 78 (9.4) | 153 (17.3) |
| Smoking status e | ||
| Never | 226 (29.7) | 294 (36.0) |
| Ex-smoker | 460 (60.5) | 430 (52.7) |
| Current | 75 (9.9) | 93 (11.4) |
| Long-term limiting illness or disability f | ||
| No | 650 (77.8) | 665 (74.9) |
| Yes | 185 (22.2) | 223 (25.1) |
Data are means (SD) and n (%).
aGrip strength: men = 793, women = 819; chair rise speed: men = 785, women = 832; standing balance time: men = 803, women = 848; TUG time: men = 765, women = 824;
bHeight: n = 834 for men; weight: n = 835 for men and n = 889 for women;
cMen = 792 and women = 845;
dMen = 833 and women = 886;
eMen = 761 and women = 817;
fMen = 835 and women = 888.