Table 1. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients.

Variables	Statistic
N participants	229
Demographic characteristics
n (%) men	146 (64)
mean age (SD) in years	63.9 (10.2)
n (%) married or living together	185 (81)
n (%) higher educated (vs. low to intermediate) *	105 (46)
Clinical Characteristics
Status of statin use
n (%) starters (< 3 months)	21 (9)
n (%) users (> 3 months)	189 (83)
n (%) discontinued	19 (8)
Duration of use
Users
n (%) 0–1 years	23 (12)
n (%) 1–4 years	64 (34)
n (%) 4 years or longer	102 (54)
Discontinued
n (%) 0–1 years	6 (32)
n (%) 1–4 years	8 (42)
n (%) 4 years or longer	5 (26)
Name of statin treatment
n (%) Atorvastatin	41 (18)
n (%) Fluvastatin	2 (1)
n (%) Pravastatin	19 (8)
n (%) Rosuvastatin	27 (12)
n (%) Simvastatin	140 (61)
Primary vs. Secondary Prevention **
Primary Prevention
n (%) elevated cholesterol	117 (51)
n (%) diabetes	37 (16)
Secondary Prevention
n (%) MI/AP/ TIA/Stroke/ IC	81 (35)
n (%) PCI	31 (14)
n (%) CBAG	12 (5)

* originally scored on an 8-point scale (1, elementary education; 8, university) and dichotomized ≤ 4 (low to intermediate educational level) vs. ≥ 5 (higher educational level).

** total sum of reported percentages exceeds 100%, because patients could have >1 indication. Abbreviations: MI, Myocardial Infarction; AP, Angina Pectoris; TIA, Transient Ischemic Attack; IC, Intermittent Claudication, PCI, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; CBAG, Coronary Bypass Artery Grafting.