Table 1.
Distribution of health behaviours in midlife, men and women, 1958 British Birth Cohort
| Men (N=4970) | Women (N=5256) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | Per cent | N | Per cent | |
| AUDIT Score* | ||||
| <8 | 3071 | 65.8 | 4059 | 86.1 |
| 8 or more | 1594 | 34.2 | 653 | 13.9 |
| Frequency of HED* | ||||
| Never | 1011 | 23.0 | 2056 | 48.0 |
| Monthly or less | 1269 | 28.9 | 1347 | 31.5 |
| Monthly | 619 | 14.1 | 366 | 8.6 |
| Weekly | 1490 | 34.0 | 513 | 12.0 |
| Smoking† | ||||
| Never smoked | 2020 | 44.9 | 2136 | 46.6 |
| Ex-smoker or occasional smoker | 1400 | 31.1 | 1321 | 28.8 |
| Current smoker | 1076 | 23.9 | 1126 | 24.6 |
| Years regular smoking 23–42, mean (SD) | 4387 | 5.9 (0.12) | 4647 | 5.7 (0.12) |
| BMI* | ||||
| <25 | 1140 | 24.9 | 2027 | 43.8 |
| 25 or more | 3445 | 75.2 | 2598 | 56.2 |
| Waist/hip ratio* | ||||
| <0.90/0.85 | 1421 | 30.7 | 3496 | 74.9 |
| ≥0.85/0.90 | 3208 | 69.3 | 1174 | 25.1 |
| Hours moderate/vigorous physical activity per week,* mean (SD) | 2873 | 15.4 (16.5) | 2953 | 9.4 (11.4) |
| Hours sedentary behaviour per week,* mean (SD) | 3632 | 44.2 (20.4) | 3693 | 17.7 |
| Index of poor health behaviours (0–6), mean (SD) | 2701 | 2.4 (1.1) | 2652 | 1.7 (1.1) |
*Measured at age 44–46.
†Measured at age 42.
AUDIT, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; HED, heavy episodic drinking.