Table 1.

Characteristics of Participants at Baseline^*

Variable	Fit Body and Soul (N = 317 Participants in 10 Churches)	Health Education (N = 287 Participants in 10 Churches)
Age – yr	46.6±10.9	46.4±10.9
Female sex – no. (%)	267 (84.2)	237 (82.6)
College graduate or higher – no. (%)	155 (48.9)	152 (53.0)
Weight – kg	98.4±21.0	99.0±22.1
Body-mass index†	35.8±7.0	35.6±7.6
Waist circumference – cm	107.8±15.0	106.7±15.9
Systolic blood pressure‡	130.4±16.8	130.6±16.3
Diastolic blood pressure‡	82.9±9.5	82.2±9.9
Glycated hemoglobin – %	5.8±0.48	5.8±0.48
Fasting plasma glucose – mg/dl	90.1±10.0	89.9±9.4
Total physical activity – MET§	2634±3809	2941±4530
SF-12 General Health Status	62.0±21	61.1±22.0
Euro-QoL Health Status Visual Analog Scale	77.8±16.1	79.2±14.6

^*Plus-minus values are means ± SD. There was no significant difference between the two study groups in any baseline characteristic (0.32 < p < 0.91).

^†The body-mass index is the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.

^‡Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were calculated as the average of two measurements (mm Hg) taken one minute apart.

^§International Physical Activity Questionnaire long form (IPAQ-LF) metabolic equivalents (MET) minutes/week.