Table 1. Weighted characteristics of study participants and mean telomere length.
| N | Weighted % | Mean LTL in kbp (SE) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | |||
| 20–30 | 1028 | 17.64 | 6.17 (0.04) |
| 30–40 | 1112 | 21.23 | 5.97 (0.04) |
| 40–50 | 1215 | 22.82 | 5.87 (0.04) |
| 50–65 | 1472 | 21.89 | 5.65 (0.04) |
| ≥65 | 1629 | 16.40 | 5.42 (0.04) |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 3333 | 49.99 | 5.83 (0.04) |
| Female | 3123 | 51.01 | 5.81 (0.03) |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| Non Hispanic white | 3337 | 74.46 | 5.79 (0.04) |
| Non Hispanic black | 1108 | 9.06 | 5.96 (0.05) |
| Mexican American | 1540 | 6.83 | 5.82 (0.05) |
| Other | 471 | 9.65 | 5.91 (0.07) |
| PIR | |||
| <1 | 1115 | 13.82 | 5.90 (0.06) |
| 1–2 | 1656 | 20.50 | 5.77 (0.05) |
| 2–3 | 1051 | 15.63 | 5.80 (0.04) |
| ≥3 | 2634 | 50.06 | 5.83 (0.04) |
| Education | |||
| Less than high school | 2129 | 20.73 | 5.71 (0.04) |
| High school | 1510 | 25.87 | 5.81 (0.04) |
| Higher education | 2817 | 53.40 | 5.87 (0.03) |
| Cancer diagnosis | |||
| No | 5911 | 92.04 | 5.84 (0.03) |
| Yes | 545 | 7.96 | 5.61 (0.04) |
| History of COPD | |||
| No | 5992 | 92.12 | 5.84 (0.03) |
| Yes | 464 | 7.88 | 5.63 (0.04) |
| Vigorously active | |||
| No | 5383 | 80.13 | 5.79 (0.03) |
| Yes | 1073 | 19.87 | 5.96 (0.04) |
| Body mass index (BMI), kg/m2 | |||
| <18.5 | 92 | 1.69 | 5.88 (0.06) |
| 18.5–25 | 1954 | 32.94 | 5.91 (0.04) |
| 25–30 | 2357 | 35.16 | 5.80 (0.04) |
| ≥30 | 2053 | 30.21 | 5.76 (0.03) |
| Alcohol consumption | |||
| Never | 479 | 6.89 | 5.91 (0.07) |
| Up to once a week | 4715 | 70.65 | 5.80 (0.04) |
| 2–3 times per week | 640 | 11.93 | 5.91 (0.04) |
| 4 times per week or more | 622 | 10.53 | 5.78 (0.04) |
| Self-reported moking status | |||
| Current smokers | 1452 | 24.71 | 5.85 (0.03) |
| Former smokers | 1751 | 25.35 | 5.71 (0.03) |
| Never smokers | 3253 | 49.94 | 5.86 (0.04) |
| Serum cotinine (ng/mL)1 | |||
| <0.5 | 2633 | 40.00 | 5.79 (0.03) |
| 0.5–10 | 2010 | 31.12 | 5.86 (0.04) |
| ≥10 | 1641 | 28.82 | 5.84 (0.04) |
1
Measured in 6,284 participants.
2
Second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure at home, defined as presence of one or more smokers at home for never and current smokers. For current smokers, exposure was defined as presence of two or more smokers at home.
3
Second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure at work, defined as being able to smell others' smoking at workplace.