Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of a representative sample of Lebanese older adults (n = 525)a
| Total (n = 525) | |
|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | |
| Age (yrs) Mean ± SD | 66.4 ± 7.89 |
| 50 + −64.9 | 263 (50.1) |
| ≥ 65 | 262 (49.9) |
| Sex | |
| Male | 268 (51) |
| Female | 257 (49) |
| Education | |
| Illiterate | 65 (12.4) |
| Less than high school | 204 (38.9 %) |
| High school or Diploma | 190 (36.2 %) |
| University level | 66 (12.6) |
| Marital status | |
| Married | 354 (67.4) |
| Single/Divorced/Separated/Widowed | 171 (32.6) |
| Crowding index | |
| < 1 person/room | 297 (57) |
| ≥ 1 person/room | 224 (43) |
| Lifestyle characteristics | |
| Physical activity | |
| Low intensity (less than 600 METs) | 237 (45.5) |
| Moderate intensity (at least 600 METs) | 191 (36.7) |
| High intensity (at least 3000 METs) | 93 (17.9) |
| Smoking | |
| Never/Past smoker | 319 (60.8) |
| Current smoker | 206 (39.2) |
| Alcohol intake | |
| No alcohol | 304 (57.9) |
| Occasionally | 135 (25.7) |
| 1–4 times per week | 54 (10.3) |
| 5 or more per week | 32 (6.1) |
| Presence of chronic disease b | 422 (80.4) |
| Family history of chronic diseasesc | |
| No | 95 (18.1) |
| Yes | 429 (81.7) |
| Anthropometric measurements | |
| Weight (kg) | 76.42 ± 14.97 |
| Height (cm) | 161.61 ± 9.45 |
| BMI (kg/m2) (Mean ± SD) | 29.29 ± 5.48 |
| BMI classification | |
| Underweight (<18.5 kg/m2) | 8 (1.5) |
| Normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI < 25 kg/m2) | 91 (17.3) |
| Overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30 kg/m2) | 213 (40.6) |
| Obese (≥30 kg/m2) | 213 (40.6) |
| Waist circumference (cm) d (Mean ± SD) | 98.47 ± 13.21 |
| Normal (Females < 80 cm, Males <94 cm) | 112 (21.3) |
| Elevated (Females ≥ 80 cm, Males ≥94 cm) | 413 (78.7) |
| Percentage body fat (%)e (Mean ± SD) | 36.02 ± 7.80 |
| Normal (Females < 32 % & Males < 25 %) | 53 (10.3) |
| High (Females ≥ 32 % & Males ≥ 25 %) | 461 (89.7) |
| Diet Quality Indices (DQIs) | |
| Alternative healthy Eating Index (AHEI) (Score range:0–100) | 52.61 ± 10.95 |
| Low (≤50) | 220 (41.9) |
| High (>50) | 305 (58.1) |
| alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMED) (Score Range 0–9) | 4.33 ± 1.76 |
| Low (≤4.5) | 266 (50.9) |
| High (>4.5) | 257 (49.1) |
| DASH-style diet score (Score range: 8–40) | 25.28 ± 4.29 |
| Low (≤24) | 237 (45.2) |
| High (>24) | 287 (54.8) |
| Lebanese Mediterranean Diet Index (LMD) (Score Range 9–27) | 17.72 ± 3.24 |
| Low (≤18.0) | 304 (57.9) |
| High (>18.0) | 221 (42.1) |
| Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) (Score Range 0–5) | 4.51 ± 0.75 |
| Low (≤2.5) | 13 (2.5) |
| High (>2.5) | 512 (97.5) |
| Breakfast frequency per week f (Mean ± SD) | 5.76 ± 2.39 |
| Low (≤4 times/week) | 116 (22.2) |
| High (>4 times/week) | 407 (77.8) |
aCategorical variables are presented as n (%) and continuous variables as mean ± SD
bPresence of chronic disease was defined as having at least one chronic disease, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease
cFamily history of chronic diseases was defined as having a family member with at least one chronic disease, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease
dElevated waist circumference was defined according to the IDF waist circumference threshold for obesity (Zimmet et al. [25])
e Sex specific percentage body fat cut off points were used to identify subjects with high or normal body fat (Lohman et al. [27])
f For the breakfast frequency measure, scores were grouped into two categories low and high corresponding to values below and above the median respectively