Table 1. Descriptive statistics of the study sample N = 753 (N = 479 women and N = 274 men).
| Variable | Women | Men | P-value a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | SD | Mean | SD | ||
| Physical activity | |||||
| Physical Activity Index (PAI) b | 9.36 | 1.77 | 8.98 | 1.83 | 0.005 |
| Frequency of PA | 1.92 | 0.01 | 1.86 | 0.02 | 0.018 |
| Intensity of PA | 2.12 | 0.02 | 2.20 | 0.03 | 0.012 |
| Duration of PA | 2.09 | 0.02 | 2.16 | 0.03 | 0.041 |
| Frequency of MVPA | 1.66 | 0.02 | 1.63 | 0.03 | 0.401 |
| Organized sports | 1.51 | 0.03 | 1.16 | 0.02 | <0.001 |
| Total Steps / Day | 8865 | 2811 | 8101 | 2874 | <0.001 |
| Aerobic Steps / Day | 2789 | 2174 | 2005 | 2004 | <0.001 |
| Socioeconomic characteristics | |||||
| Age (years) | 41.75 | 4.98 | 41.68 | 5.12 | 0.837 |
| Income c | 6.72 | 2.69 | 8.63 | 3.10 | <0.001 |
| Education (years) | 16.27 | 3.31 | 15.50 | 3.33 | 0.002 |
| Work status d | 0.92 | 0.28 | 0.98 | 0.16 | <0.001 |
| Light sedentary work | 0.34 | 0.47 | 0.33 | 0.47 | 0.911 |
| Heavy physical work | 0.01 | 0.07 | 0.02 | 0.12 | 0.184 |
| Number of children | 1.75 | 0.44 | 1.69 | 0.46 | 0.101 |
| Married | 0.79 | 0.41 | 0.83 | 0.38 | 0.153 |
| Suburb | 0.49 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 0.50 | 0.956 |
| Health status | |||||
| Number of diseases e | 1.13 | 1.23 | 0.85 | 1.02 | 0.001 |
| Body Mass Index | 24.76 | 4.42 | 26.17 | 3.96 | <0.001 |
| Family background factors | |||||
| Education (years) Mother | 10.06 | 3.05 | 10.27 | 3.31 | 0.381 |
| Education (years) Father | 9.90 | 3.81 | 9.88 | 3.79 | 0.944 |
| Physical activity Mother f | 1.67 | 1.51 | 1.62 | 1.48 | 0.698 |
| Physical activity Father f | 1.88 | 1.70 | 1.81 | 1.61 | 0.565 |
PA, physical activity; MVPA, moderate to vigorous physical activity.
a P-values for gender differences (T-test).
b Physical Activity Index (PAI) is a summary of five variables that illustrate the frequency and the intensity of physical activity, the average duration of physical activity sessions, the frequency of moderate to vigorous physical activity sessions, and participation in organized sports during leisure time. Each response alternatives were coded from 1 to 3, and thereafter added up to form a PAI with a scores ranging from 5 to 15.
c Income categories: 1 = < €5000, 2 = €5000–10000, 3 = €10001–15000, 4 = €15001–20000, 5 = €20001–25000, 6 = €25001–30000, 7 = €30001–35000, 8 = €35001–40000 9 = €40001–45000, 10 = €45001–50000, 11 = €50001–55000, 12 = €55001–60000, 1 3 = > €60000.
d Dummy-variable, which gets value 1 if working, and value 0 if not working.
e Self-reported number of diseases.
f Self-reported parental physical activity obtained in 1980. The question contained the frequency of physical activity (1 = Never, 2 = Once a month, 3 = 2–3 times/month, 4 = Once a week, 5 = 2–6 times/week 6 = Daily).