Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Women in Study of Women's Health Across the Nation Reporting Medication Use by Race/Ethnicity
| Total cohort (n = 2,798) | White (n = 1,343) | African American (n = 785) | Chinese (n = 234) | Japanese (n = 267) | Hispanic (n = 169) | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 46.4 ± 2.7 | 46.3 ± 2.7 | 46.3 ± 2.7 | 46.5 ± 2.5 | 46.7 ± 2.7 | 46.4 ± 2.8 | 0.1500 |
| Follow-up (years), mean ± SD | 12.9 ± 2.3 | 12.9 ± 2.3 | 12.6 ± 2.3 | 13.4 ± 2.3 | 13.4 ± 1.8 | 6.6 ± 0.8 | 0.0001 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean ± SD | 28.1 ± 7.3 | 27.6 ± 6.9 | 31.8 ± 7.8 | 23.3 ± 3.9 | 23 ± 3.7 | 29.3 ± 6.5 | 0.0001 |
| Tobacco use, n (%) | 0.0001 | ||||||
| None | 1,633 (58.4%) | 710 (52.9%) | 425 (54.1%) | 220 (94.0%) | 168 (62.9%) | 110 (65.1%) | |
| Past | 713 (25.5%) | 442 (32.9%) | 166 (21.1%) | 11 (4.7%) | 63 (23.6%) | 31 (18.3%) | |
| Current | 432 (15.4%) | 187 (13.9%) | 181 (23.1%) | 3 (1.3%) | 34 (12.7%) | 27 (16.0%) | |
| Missing | 20 (0.7%) | 4 (0.3%) | 13 (1.7%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.7%) | 1 (0.6%) | |
| Symptom scales, mean ± SD | |||||||
| Depression | 10.4 ± 9.5 | 10 ± 9.2 | 11.2 ± 10 | 8.4 ± 8.3 | 8.4 ± 7.9 | 15.5 ± 10.3 | 0.0001 |
| Pain | 69.6 ± 22.2 | 71.3 ± 19.9 | 66.9 ± 23.4 | 74.4 ± 23 | 75.6 ± 20 | 53.2 ± 25.5 | 0.0001 |
| Comorbid conditions | 1.3 ± 1.2 | 1.2 ± 1.1 | 1.6 ± 1.3 | 0.8 ± 0.9 | 0.9 ± 0.9 | 1.5 ± 1.2 | 0.0001 |
| Physical activity | 7.7 ± 1.8 | 8.1 ± 1.8 | 7.3 ± 1.7 | 7.3 ± 1.7 | 7.9 ± 1.6 | 6.8 ± 1.5 | 0.0001 |
| Hot flashes, n (%) | 1,074 (38.4%) | 481 (35.8%) | 360 (45.9%) | 70 (29.9%) | 86 (32.2%) | 77 (45.6%) | 0.0001 |
| Socioeconomic indicators | |||||||
| Educational attainment, n (%) | 0.0001 | ||||||
| Less than high school | 166 (5.9%) | 20 (1.5%) | 43 (5.5%) | 28 (12.0%) | 2 (0.7%) | 73 (43.2%) | |
| High school graduate | 459 (16.4%) | 178 (13.3%) | 157 (20.0%) | 38 (16.2%) | 43 (16.1%) | 43 (25.4%) | |
| Beyond high school | 900 (32.2%) | 410 (30.5%) | 312 (39.7%) | 51 (21.8%) | 94 (35.2%) | 33 (19.5%) | |
| College or beyond | 1,250 (44.7%) | 727 (54.1%) | 263 (33.5%) | 117 (50.0%) | 128 (47.9%) | 15 (8.9%) | |
| Missing | 23 (0.8%) | 8 (0.6%) | 10 (1.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 5 (3.0%) | |
| Marital status, n (%) | |||||||
| Married | 1,858 (66.4%) | 961 (71.6%) | 368 (46.9%) | 187 (79.9%) | 216 (80.9%) | 126 (74.6%) | |
| Other | 903 (32.3%) | 360 (26.8%) | 412 (52.5%) | 45 (19.2%) | 50 (18.7%) | 36 (21.3%) | |
| Annual household income (US$), n (%) | |||||||
| <20,000 | 362 (12.9%) | 86 (6.4%) | 163 (20.8%) | 11 (4.7%) | 7 (2.6%) | 95 (56.2%) | |
| 20–50,000 | 912 (32.6%) | 414 (30.8%) | 312 (39.7%) | 80 (34.2%) | 55 (20.6%) | 51 (30.2%) | |
| 50–100,000 | 1,027 (36.7%) | 574 (42.7%) | 229 (29.2%) | 91 (38.9%) | 119 (44.6%) | 14 (8.3%) | |
| 100–150,000 | 296 (10.6%) | 180 (13.4%) | 32 (4.1%) | 36 (15.4%) | 45 (16.9%) | 3 (1.8%) | |
| >150,000 | 126 (4.5%) | 71 (5.3%) | 17 (2.2%) | 12 (5.1%) | 26 (9.7%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Social support, mean ± SD | 12.4 ± 3.2 | 12.7 ± 3.0 | 12.1 ± 3.4 | 11.8 ± 3.1 | 13.2 ± 2.5 | 10.9 ± 4.5 | |
Depression measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (higher score suggests greater likelihood of depression). Pain was assessed with the bodily pain scale from the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), with lower scores representing more pain. Physical activity was measured using a modified version of the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire (range 3–15). Comorbid conditions were self-reported and included osteoporosis, thyroid disease, any cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, hypertension, migraine, and hyperlipidemia.
BMI, body mass index; SD, standard deviation.