Table 2. Cohort characteristics at baseline, by quarters of reproductive period.
| Reproductive period (range in years) (MV = 366) | 1st quarter (<31) n = 2050 | 2nd quarter (31–34) n = 1827 | 3rd quarter (35–37) n = 1948 | 4th quarter (>38) n = 2275 | All combined n = 8466 | Test for linear trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age in years (SD) | 73.5 (6.5) | 73.4 (6.4) | 73.8 (6.7) | 73.9 (6.9) | 73.8 (6.7) | 5.8, 0.02 |
| Did not complete primary education (%) | 872 (42.6%) | 825 (44.2%) | 897 (46.0%) | 803 (35.4%) | 2613 (42.8%) | 18.5, <0.001 |
| Mean age at menarche | 13.7 (2.1) | 13.7 (1.9) | 13.7 (1.5) | 12.6 (1.7) | 13.4 (1.9) | 394.2, <0.001 |
| Mean age at menopause | 39.2 (4.6) | 46.4 (2.2) | 49.6 (1.6) | 53.1 (2.9) | 47.3 (6.1) | 22652.8, <0.001 |
| Mean age at birth of first child | 22.0 (4.9) | 22.3 (4.6) | 22.4 (5.1) | 22.6 (5.4) | 22.3 (5.0) | 8.4, 0.004 |
| Nulliparous (%) | 173 (8.6%) | 103 (5.7%) | 103 (5.4%) | 159 (7.1%) | 576 (6.9%) | 3.5, 0.06 |
| Mean live births (SD) | 4.2 (3.1) | 4.2 (2.9) | 4.1 (2.9) | 3.9 (2.9) | 4.1 (3.0) | 14.7, <0.001 |
| Index of estrogen exposure (n = 6504) | -1.66 (2.13) | -0.44 (1.90) | +0.24 (1.99) | +1.59 (2.16) | -0.01 (2.38) | 2194.6, <0.001 |
| Ever smoked (%) | 489 (23.9%) | 386 (21.2%) | 374 (19.3%) | 567 (25.0%) | 1907 (22.6%) | 0.3, 0.59 |
| Hazardous drinker (%) | 78 (4.0%) | 41 (2.4%) | 31 (1.7%) | 51 (2.5%) | 219 (2.8%) | 10.1, 0.002 |
| Stroke (%) | 136 (6.6%) | 104 (5.7%) | 84 (4.3%) | 122 (5.4%) | 464 (5.5%) | 5.0, 0.03 |
| Diabetes (%) | 398 (19.5%) | 337 (18.4%) | 325 (16.7%) | 443 (19.5%) | 1571 (18.6%) | 0.1, 0.76 |
| Obesity (%) | 1145 (59.3%) | 959 (54.9%) | 965 (52.2%) | 1283 (60.9%) | 4352 (57.0%) | 0.4, 0.53 |
| Mean height in centimetres | 153.0 (7.5) | 153.3 (7.2) | 154.1 (7.3) | 153.9 (7.3) | 153.5 (7.4) | 20.6, <0.001 |
| Mean leg length in centimetres | 85.1 (6.9) | 84.8 (6.9) | 84.4 (7.9) | 85.5 (7.1) | 84.9 (7.2) | 1.7, 0.18 |
| Mean skull circumference in centimetres | 54.9 (2.1) | 54.8 (2.2) | 54.9 (2.2) | 54.8 (2.3) | 54.8 (2.2) | 0.0, 0.90 |
| Mean CSI-D COGSCORE | 30.2 (2.3) | 30.3 (2.3) | 30.3 (2.4) | 30.4 (2.2) | 30.2 (2.4) | 8.4, 0.004 |
| Mean CERAD 10 word recall | 4.9 (2.1) | 5.0 (2.1) | 4.8 (2.0) | 5.0 (2.0) | 4.9 (2.0) | 0.2, 0.64 |
| Mean CERAD animal naming | 15.4 (5.1) | 15.5 (5.1) | 15.4 (5.3) | 16.0 (5.6) | 15.5 (5.3) | 14.4, <0.001 |
| One or more APOE e4 alleles1 (%) | 188 (22.3%) | 111 (18.5%) | 151 (20.1%) | 224 (18.2%) | 709 (19.9%) | 3.9, 0.05 |
1This analysis was conducted using data from the four sites where APOE genotype was available; Cuba (n = 1427), Dominican Republic (n = 635), Venezuela (n = 599), and Puerto Rico (n = 907), total (n = 3568).