Table 1.
Selected Baseline (1967–73) Characteristics of the Study Sample, Overall and by Baseline Risk Factor Status
| Variables (Mean or %) |
All | Baseline Risk Factor Status | P-value§ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-Risk* | Moderate-Risk† | 1 High-Risk Factor‡ | 2+High-Risk Factors‡ | |||
| No. of people | 6014 | 348 | 1500 | 2467 | 1699 | |
| Baseline Characteristics | ||||||
| Age, mean, yr | 43.3 | 41.8 | 42.9 | 43.5 | 43.6 | <.001 |
| Female, (%) | 40.0 | 63.8 | 39.9 | 40.5 | 30.9 | <.001 |
| Black, (%) | 4.1 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 5.1 | .064 |
| Education, mean, yr | 13.6 | 13.9 | 13.9 | 13.6 | 13.2 | <.001 |
| Current Smoker, (%) | 29.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 32.5 | 58.7 | – |
| BMI, mean (kg/m2) | 25.7 | 22.3 | 25.0 | 25.1 | 27.8 | – |
| BMI ≥30.0 kg/m2, (%) | 10.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.9 | 31.6 | – |
| SBP, mean, mmHg | 133.1 | 114.5 | 123.8 | 134.0 | 143.9 | – |
| DBP, mean, mmHg | 79.3 | 70.7 | 74.3 | 79.5 | 85.0 | – |
| Hypertension ‡, (%) | 44.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 49.4 | 84.5 | – |
| Serum cholesterol, mean, mg/dL*** | 206.9 | 173.2 | 197.6 | 202.9 | 227.7 | – |
| Hypercholesterolemia ‡, (%) | 17.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 12.2 | 45.6 | – |
| Diabetes mellitus, (%) | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 4.3 | – |
| Current chronic disease Status | ||||||
| Diabetes mellitus, (%) | 13.4 | 3.7 | 8.5 | 12.3 | 21.1 | <.001 |
| CV diseases, ‖ (%) | 33.5 | 20.4 | 28.0 | 31.7 | 43.5 | <.001 |
| Cancer,# (%) | 20.4 | 18.4 | 20.7 | 20.8 | 19.8 | .655 |
| Arthritis/sciatica/hip fracture,** (%) | 55.8 | 54.3 | 55.1 | 54.1 | 59.3 | .007 |
| Other major diseases, ¶ (%) | 30.9 | 28.5 | 27.7 | 31.5 | 33.4 | .003 |
| Number of chronic diseases,** mean | 2.9 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 4.0 | <.001 |
| Any chronic diseases, (%) | 89.1 | 83.3 | 87.5 | 89.0 | 91.9 | <.001 |
BMI indicates body mass index; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure;
Favorable level of all major CVD risk factors (BP ≤120/≤80 mmHg and no antihypertensive medication, serum cholesterol <200mg/dl and no lipid-lowering medication, not smoking, BMI<25 kg/m2, no diabetes).
Having one or more unfavorable/borderline levels of untreated SBP 121–139 mmHg or DBP 81–89 mmHg, or untreated serum total cholesterol 200–239 mg/dL, or BMI 25.0–29.9 kg/m2, not smoking, no diabetes.
High SBP/DBP (≥ 140/90) or using antihypertensive medication, serum total cholesterol ≥ 240 mg/dl or using lipid-lowering medication, smoking, BMI ≥30.0 kg/m2, diabetes.
P values for overall group comparisons based on χ2 or F-test except for RF components.
CV, cardiovascular diseases including heart attack, angina, congestive heart failure, stroke, arteriosclerosis, or other heart disease.
Cancer includes lung, stomach, intestinal, rectal, breast, ovarian, uterine, prostate, leukemia, or other cancer.
Other major diseases include pneumonia, emphysema, liver disease, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease and others.
Sum of diseases listed in the above categories.
Multiply with 0.0259 to convert to mmol/l.