Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of N = 145,521 WHI Participants by Veteran Status
| Characteristic | Veteran n = 3,719 | Non-Veteran n = 141,802 | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic | |||
| Age, years, mean (SD) | 67.1 (7.9) | 63.3 (7.2) | <.0001 |
| Age group, n (%) | <.0001 | ||
| 50–59 years | 785 (21.1) | 46,367 (32.7) | |
| 60–69 years | 1,081 (29.1) | 64,643 (45.6) | |
| 70–79 years | 1,853 (49.8) | 30,792 (21.7) | |
| Race/ethnicity, n (%) | <.0001 | ||
| White | 3,239 (87.4) | 116,617 (82.5) | |
| Black | 263 (7.1) | 12,874 (9.1) | |
| Hispanic or Latina | 86 (2.3) | 5,671 (4.0) | |
| Other | 118 (3.2) | 6,267 (4.4) | |
| Lifestyle | |||
| Smoking status, n (%) | <.0001 | ||
| Nonsmoker | 1,631 (44.8) | 71,573 (51.1) | |
| Past smoker | 1,693 (46.5) | 58,838 (42.0) | |
| Current smoker | 317 (8.7) | 9,552 (6.8) | |
| Alcohol intake, n (%) | <.0001 | ||
| Lifetime nondrinker | 250 (6.8) | 15,521 (11.0) | |
| Former drinker | 769 (20.9) | 26,357 (18.7) | |
| <1 drink per week | 1,213 (32.9) | 46,207 (32.8) | |
| 1–6 drinks per week | 977 (26.3) | 36,129 (25.5) | |
| ≥7 drinks per week | 476 (12.8) | 16,577 (11.7) | |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, mean (SD) | 27.9 (5.8) | 27.9 (6.0) | .39 |
| Body mass index categories | .03 | ||
| Underweight | 44 (1.2) | 1,248 (0.9) | |
| Normal weight | 1,247 (33.9) | 48,639 (34.6) | |
| Overweight | 1,321 (35.9) | 48,524 (34.5) | |
| Obese I | 689 (18.7) | 25,830 (18.4) | |
| Obese II | 237 (6.4) | 10,544 (7.5) | |
| Obese III | 142 (3.9) | 5,709 (4.1) | |
| Physical activity, MET-hours per week, mean (SD) | 13.2 (14.1) | 12.5 (13.7) | .003 |
| Self-rated health | .91 | ||
| Excellent | 625 (16.9) | 24,064 (17.1) | |
| Very good or good | 2,727 (73.8) | 1,04,119 (73.8) | |
| Fair or poor | 343 (9.3) | 12,824 (9.1) | |
| Health status | |||
| Number of falls in the past 12 months | .0004 | ||
| 0 | 2,450 (66.3) | 96,259 (68.2) | |
| 1 | 717 (19.4) | 27,729 (19.7) | |
| 2 or 3 | 528 (14.3) | 17,116 (12.1) | |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 218 (5.9) | 8,493 (6.0) | .75 |
| Cardiovascular disease, n (%) | 801 (21.9) | 24,848 (17.7) | <.0001 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis, n (%) | 205 (10.4) | 7,169 (10.8) | .54 |
| Stomach or duodenal ulcer, n (%) | 256 (7.0) | 8,911 (6.4) | .14 |
| Bilateral oophorectomy, n (%) | 793 (21.8) | 27,822 (20.1) | .01 |
| Hysterectomy, n (%) | 1,636 (44.0) | 59,243 (41.8) | .007 |
| CES-D score suggestive of depression, n (%) | 341 (9.4) | 15,335 (11.1) | .001 |
| RAND-36 physical function score, mean (SD) | 78.4 (21.2) | 81.1 (20.1) | <.0001 |
| Parental history of fracture, n (%) | 1,291 (38.2) | 51,881 (39.8) | .07 |
| Personal history of fracture, n (%) | 1,639 (44.5) | 54,285 (38.5) | <.0001 |
| WHO FRAX 10-year probability (any), mean (SD) | 13.3 (8.4) | 10.2 (6.8) | <.0001 |
| WHO FRAX 10-year probability (hip), mean (SD) | 4.08 (5.39) | 2.20 (3.59) | <.0001 |
| BMD of total hip, g/cm2, mean (SD)a | 0.83 (0.13) | 0.85 (0.14) | .05 |
| BMD of total spine, g/cm2, mean (SD)a | 0.98 (0.17) | 0.98 (0.17) | .73 |
| BMD of whole body, g/cm2, mean (SD)a | 1.01 (0.11) | 1.01 (0.11) | .54 |
| Medications | |||
| Using hormone therapy, n (%) | 1,470 (59.3) | 61,854 (65.8) | <.0001 |
| Using psychoactive medications, n (%) | 491 (13.2) | 18,847 (13.3) | .88 |
| Using oral corticosteroids daily, n (%) | 44 (1.2) | 1,016 (0.7) | .001 |
| Using proton pump inhibitor, n (%) | 86 (2.3) | 3,130 (2.2) | .67 |
| Taking calcium, n (%) | 1,013 (27.2) | 36,505 (25.7) | .04 |
| Taking vitamin D, n (%) | 147 (4.0) | 5,954 (4.2) | .46 |
Notes: BMD = bone mineral density; CES-D = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; MET = metabolic equivalents; SD = standard deviation; WHI = Women’s Health Initiative; WHO FRAX = World Health Organization Fracture Risk Assessment Tool.
aAvailable only for a subsample of the cohort.