Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics by Tertile of Mediterranean Diet Score in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study
| Variables | Mediterranean Diet Score | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6–9 N=5211 |
4–5 N=8354 |
0–3 N=6632 |
p | |
|
Demographics | ||||
| Male (%) | 2465 (47) | 3614 (43) | 2774 (42) | <0.001 |
| Black (%) | 1780 (34) | 2820 (34) | 2070 (31) | <0.001 |
| Age <65 years (%) | 4225 (51) | 3675 (55) | 2462 (47) | <0.001 |
| Mean age, years (SD) | 66 (9) | 65 (9) | 64 (9) | <0.001 |
| Residence in the Stroke Belt (%) | 2721 (52) | 4800 (57) | 3847 (58) | <0.001 |
| Income over $75,000 (%) | 1168 (22) | 1488 (18) | 902 (14) | <0.001 |
| College graduate (%) | 2517 (48) | 3277 (39) | 1891 (29) | <0.001 |
|
Co-morbid Conditions |
||||
| Diabetes mellitus (%) | 771 (15) | 1531 (18) | 1250 (19) | <0.001 |
| Heart Disease (%) | 842 (16) | 1331 (16) | 1057 (16) | 0.947 |
| Hypertension (%) | 2426 (47) | 4075 (49) | 3225 (49) | 0.019 |
| Atrial Fibrillation (%) | 409 (8) | 685 (8) | 540 (8) | 0.733 |
| Obesity (%) | 1559 (30) | 3071 (37) | 2687 (41) | <0.001 |
|
Lifestyle Factors |
||||
| Sedentary (%) | 376 (7) | 994 (12) | 1087 (16) | <0.001 |
| Current smoking (%) | 428 (8) | 1034 (12) | 1246 (19) | <0.001 |
|
Blood pressure levels |
||||
| Mean systolic blood pressure, mmHg (SD) | 126 (16) | 126 (16) | 127 (16) | 0.001 |
| Mean diastolic blood pressure, mmHg (SD) | 76 (9) | 76 (9) | 77 (10) | 0.006 |