Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the propensity-score matched cohort.
| Sociodemographic characteristics | Low to low walkability (n = 1,057) | Low to high walkability (n = 1,057) | Standardized difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at index date (years) [mean (median)] | 36.8 (33) | 37.0 (34) | < 0.01 |
| Age at index date (grouped) (years) | |||
| 20–34 | 55.6 | 54.0 | < 0.01 |
| 35–45 | 19.0 | 22.2 | < 0.01 |
| ≥ 46 | 25.4 | 23.9 | < 0.01 |
| No. of years between interview and index dates [mean (median)] | 2.9 (2) | 3.2 (2) | 0.01 |
| Male sex (%) | 49.3 | 52.7 | < 0.01 |
| Area-based income quintile at index date | |||
| 1 (lowest) | 27.3 | 26.4 | < 0.01 |
| 2 | 23.6 | 24.4 | < 0.01 |
| 3 | 15.2 | 14.3 | < 0.01 |
| 4 | 13.7 | 13.6 | < 0.01 |
| 5 (highest) | 20.2 | 21.3 | < 0.01 |
| Individual-level income ($) [mean (median)] | 34,311 (28,000) | 37,030 (30,000) | < 0.01 |
| Less than secondary school education | 4.0 | 5.0 | < 0.01 |
| Married or common-law | 29.5 | 32.4 | < 0.01 |
| Urban dwelling at index date | 92.3 | 93.8 | < 0.01 |
| Immigrant | 33.3 | 34.5 | < 0.01 |
| No. of years in Canada (among immigrants) [mean (median)] | 16.1 (12) | 15.8 (13) | < 0.01 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| White | 70.0 | 71.5 | < 0.01 |
| South Asian | 1.6 | 2.9 | < 0.01 |
| Chinese | 4.7 | 3.8 | < 0.01 |
| Black | 7.7 | 5.6 | < 0.01 |
| Other | 16.1 | 16.2 | < 0.01 |
| Current smoker | 26.6 | 28.6 | < 0.01 |
| Prevalent diabetes | 0.3 | 0.7 | < 0.01 |
| BMI (kg/m2) [mean (median)] | 24.0 (23) | 24.0 (24) | < 0.01 |
| Overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) | 34.7 | 33.1 | < 0.01 |
| Obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) | 7.7 | 7.1 | < 0.01 |
| Psychosocial stress | 29.7 | 30.2 | < 0.01 |
| Leisure physical activity | |||
| Active | 34.1 | 29.4 | 0.01 |
| Moderate | 21.1 | 24.7 | < 0.01 |
| Inactive | 44.8 | 45.9 | < 0.01 |
| Leisure physical activity (≤ 15 min/day)a | 60.4 | 62.0 | < 0.01 |
| Alcohol consumptionb | |||
| Regular drinker | 72.5 | 74.3 | < 0.01 |
| Occasional drinker | 13.1 | 11.8 | < 0.01 |
| Nondrinker | 14.4 | 13.9 | < 0.01 |
| Inadequate fruits and vegetables (< 3 times per day) | 22.6 | 25.0 | < 0.01 |
| No. of times consumed fruits and vegetables per day [mean (median)] | 4.9 (4) | 5.0 (5) | < 0.01 |
| Poor/fair self-rated overall health | 6.4 | 6.9 | < 0.01 |
| Poor/fair self-rated mental health | 4.3 | 4.5 | < 0.01 |
| Low- and high-walkability areas were defined as Walk Score of < 90 and ≥ 90, respectively. Data were derived from the Ontario components of Canadian Community Health Survey (2001–2010) linked to the Ontario Hypertension Database. Estimates are percentages or mean (median). All estimates were weighted by the survey sample weight. In all comparisons of characteristics, the groups were well balanced (standardized differences in the mean ≤ 0.01 for all comparisons). aLeisure physical activity [average daily energy expenditure (active: ≥ 3.0 kcal/kg/day; moderately active: 1.5–2.9 kcal/kg/day; inactive: < 1.5 kcal/kg/day)] bAlcohol consumption (regular drinker: at least once per month; occasional drinker: less than once per month; nondrinker: never in the past year from survey date). | |||