Table 1. Baseline characteristics of women in the EPIC-CVD subcohort by parity and breastfeeding history.
| Total | Nulliparous | Parous - never breastfed | Parous - ever breastfed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of overall subcohort* | - | 12.4 | 11.2 | 76.4 |
| Age at study entry, years | 52.7 (9.1) | 52.7 (10.1) | 52.0 (8.4) | 52.7 (9.0) |
| Education level, % | ||||
| None | 11.3 | 7.0 | 9.1 | 12.4 |
| Primary | 34.3 | 23.9 | 34.9 | 35.6 |
| Secondary | 15.4 | 18.2 | 19.4 | 14.5 |
| Tertiary | 39.0 | 50.9 | 36.6 | 37.5 |
| Current smoker, % | 21.7 | 25.4 | 20.4 | 21.1 |
| History of diabetes, % | 2.6 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 2.5 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.1 (4.7) | 24.9 (4.3) | 26.4 (4.9) | 26.2 (4.7) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 130.8 (20.0) | 129.6 (20.4) | 129.3 (19.9) | 131.0 (19.9) |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 80.3 (10.6) | 79.2 (10.4) | 80.2 (11.2) | 80.5 (10.5) |
| History of high blood pressure, % | 34.3 | 30.1 | 33.2 | 35.0 |
| Total cholesterol, mmol/L | 6.0 (1.1) | 6.0 (1.2) | 6.0 (1.1) | 6.0 (1.1) |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/L | 1.6 (0.4) | 1.7 (0.4) | 1.6 (0.4) | 1.6 (0.4) |
| Postmenopausal, % | 52.7 | 53.9 | 47.7 | 52.9 |
| Age at menopauseƗ | 48.5 (4.9) | 48.1 (5.3) | 48.2 (5.0) | 48.7 (4.9) |
| Number of children, % | ||||
| 1 child | - | - | 25.6 | 13.1 |
| 2 children | - | - | 49.7 | 47.5 |
| ≥3 children | - | - | 24.8 | 39.4 |
| Lifetime duration of breastfeeding, months | - | - | - | 9.7 (10.4) |
| Duration of breastfeeding per child, months | - | - | - | 4.2 (3.7) |
Values are mean (standard deviation) for continuous variables.
*
131 of 9,985 women with incomplete information about breastfeeding history were excluded.
Ɨ
postmenopausal women only.