TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics according to tertiles of prudent and Western diet scores as associated with blood lead in the Normative Aging Study, 1987–20081
| Tertile of prudent diet score |
Tertile of Western diet score |
||||||
| Baseline characteristics | Total (n = 983) | 1 (lowest) (n = 327) | 2 (n = 328) | 3 (highest) (n = 328) | 1 (lowest) (n = 327) | 2 (n = 328) | 3 (highest) (n = 328) |
| Diet score median (minimum, maximum) | −0.77 (−1.3, −0.45) | −0.17 (−0.44, 0.19) | 0.68 (0.20, 7.43) | −0.80 (−2.0, −0.44) | −0.11 (−0.43, 0.25) | 0.74 (0.26, 4.05) | |
| Age, y | 65.1 ± 7.7 | 64.2 ± 7.9 | 65.0 ± 7.7 | 66.3 ± 7.2 | 66.9 ± 7.2 | 64.9 ± 7.6 | 63.6 ± 7.8 |
| Blood lead, μg/dL | 6.1 ± 4.2 | 6.5 ± 3.9 | 6.3 ± 4.9 | 5.6 ± 3.4 | 5.9 ± 4.8 | 6.0 ± 3.8 | 6.5 ± 3.8 |
| Patella lead,2 μg/g | 30.7 ± 19.5 | 32.3 ± 20.6 | 29.4 ± 18.4 | 30.3 ± 19.3 | 29.9 ± 18.0 | 29.8 ± 19.3 | 32.3 ± 20.8 |
| Tibia lead,2 μg/g | 21.7 ± 13.6 | 23.1 ± 14.5 | 20.9 ± 12.2 | 21.0 ± 14.0 | 21.1 ± 11.5 | 21.1 ± 13.9 | 22.8 ± 15.1 |
| Smoking | |||||||
| Never | 27.4 | 26.0 | 29.3 | 26.8 | 33.3 | 27.1 | 21.7 |
| Former or current | 72.6 | 74.0 | 70.7 | 73.2 | 66.7 | 72.9 | 78.3 |
| Education | |||||||
| Less than high school | 9.8 | 14.1 | 10.7 | 4.6 | 10.4 | 8.2 | 10.7 |
| High school | 36.6 | 39.1 | 37.5 | 33.2 | 35.5 | 34.8 | 39.6 |
| Some college | 26.1 | 25.1 | 22.9 | 30.5 | 26.6 | 27.7 | 24.1 |
| ≥4-y college | 27.5 | 21.7 | 28.9 | 31.7 | 27.5 | 29.3 | 25.6 |
| Occupation | |||||||
| White collar | 34.4 | 29.0 | 33.8 | 40.2 | 34.9 | 38.1 | 30.2 |
| Non–white collar | 65.6 | 71.0 | 66.2 | 59.8 | 65.1 | 61.9 | 69.8 |
| Total energy intake, kcal/d | 1958 ± 593 | 1641 ± 505 | 1933 ± 457 | 2298 ± 612 | 1657 ± 489 | 1913 ± 463 | 2302 ± 625 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 27.8 ± 3.7 | 28.2 ± 3.6 | 27.8 ± 3.6 | 27.4 ± 3.9 | 27.2 ± 3.6 | 27.8 ± 3.4 | 28.4 ± 4.0 |
| Food intakes, servings/d | |||||||
| Red meat | 0.5 ± 0.3 | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.5 ± 0.3 | 0.5 ± 0.4 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0.7 ± 0.4 |
| Processed meat | 0.3 ± 0.4 | 0.3 ± 0.4 | 0.3 ± 0.3 | 0.3 ± 0.4 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.3 ± 0.2 | 0.6 ± 0.5 |
| Seafood | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | 0.3 ± 0.2 | 0.6 ± 0.5 | 0.4 ± 0.4 | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.4 ± 0.4 |
| Poultry | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | 0.3 ± 0.2 | 0.5 ± 0.4 | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.3 ± 0.3 | 0.4 ± 0.3 |
| Eggs | 0.2 ± 0.3 | 0.2 ± 0.3 | 0.3 ± 0.3 | 0.2 ± 0.3 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | 0.4 ± 0.4 |
| Butter | 0.3 ± 0.7 | 0.4 ± 0.9 | 0.2 ± 0.5 | 0.2 ± 0.5 | 0.1 ± 0.2 | 0.2 ± 0.5 | 0.6 ± 1.0 |
| Fries | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.0 ± 0.1 | 0.1 ± 0.1 | 0.1 ± 0.1 |
| High-fat dairy products | 1.0 ± 1.3 | 1.1 ± 1.3 | 1.2 ± 1.6 | 0.9 ± 1.0 | 0.5 ± 0.6 | 0.9 ± 0.6 | 1.9 ± 1.8 |
| Fruit | 1.5 ± 1.2 | 0.9 ± 0.7 | 1.4 ± 0.9 | 2.2 ± 1.4 | 1.8 ± 1.4 | 1.4 ± 1.0 | 1.2 ± 1.0 |
| Whole grains | 1.5 ± 1.4 | 0.8 ± 0.8 | 1.5 ± 1.2 | 2.1 ± 1.6 | 1.6 ± 1.3 | 1.5 ± 1.4 | 1.3 ± 1.3 |
| Refined grains | 1.5 ± 1.2 | 1.2 ± 1.0 | 1.4 ± 1.2 | 1.8 ± 1.4 | 1.0 ± 0.9 | 1.4 ± 1.0 | 2.0 ± 1.5 |
| Vegetables | 1.7 ± 1.3 | 0.8 ± 0.4 | 1.5 ± 0.5 | 2.9 ± 1.6 | 1.9 ± 1.4 | 1.6 ± 1.2 | 1.7 ± 1.3 |
| Legumes | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.2 ± 0.2 | 0.4 ± 0.2 | 0.6 ± 0.4 | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.4 ± 0.3 | 0.5 ± 0.4 |
| Tomatoes | 0.6 ± 0.6 | 0.3 ± 0.3 | 0.5 ± 0.5 | 0.9 ± 0.8 | 0.5 ± 0.5 | 0.6 ± 0.5 | 0.7 ± 0.8 |
| Neighborhood-based socioeconomic status, % | |||||||
| Education3 | 12.0 ± 8.9 | 13.0 ± 9.5 | 12.4 ± 8.9 | 10.4 ± 8.2 | 12.5 ± 9.3 | 11.0 ± 8.1 | 12.3 ± 9.3 |
| Income4 | 6.3 ± 5.6 | 6.7 ± 6.0 | 6.2 ± 5.2 | 6.0 ± 5.6 | 6.5 ± 6.0 | 5.9 ± 5.3 | 6.5 ± 5.6 |
1
Values are means ± SEs or percentages unless otherwise indicated.
2
Patella lead and tibia lead concentrations were measured between 1991 and 1999 (n = 786).
3
Geographic areas were identified as undereducated if ≥25% of residents age ≥25 y had not completed high school.
4
Geographic areas were identified as impoverished if ≥10% of residents of the population lived below the federal poverty line.