Table 3.
Baseline characteristics of women in the Nurses’ Health Study II in 1989 by hypercholesterolemia and hypertension history
| Baseline characteristics | Hypercholesterolemia or Hypertension | |
|---|---|---|
| Either (n=14,356) | Neither (n=89,200) | |
| Age (years) *, mean(SD) | 35.6(4.6) | 34.4(4.6) |
| White Race, % | 91 | 93 |
| BMI† at age 18 (kg/m2) | 22.2(4.1) | 21.1(3.2) |
| BMI at baseline (kg/m2) | 26.3(6.4) | 23.6(4.6) |
| Age at menarche | ||
| - ≤11 years old, % | 28 | 23 |
| - 12–13 years old, % | 55 | 58 |
| - ≥ 14 years old, % | 16 | 18 |
| Parity | ||
| - Nulliparous, % | 35 | 30 |
| - 1 pregnancy >6 months, % | 20 | 19 |
| - 2 pregnancies >6 months, % | 30 | 33 |
| - 3+ pregnancies >6 months, % | 15 | 19 |
| Months of breast feeding | ||
| - 0 or <1 month, % | 25 | 19 |
| - <6 months, % | 20 | 17 |
| - 6–11 months, % | 20 | 20 |
| - 12–23 months, % | 21 | 24 |
| - ≥24 months, % | 14 | 19 |
| Oral contraceptive use, ever, % | 85 | 82 |
| Smoking history, never, % | 65 | 66 |
| Alcohol intake (grams), mean(SD) | 2.9(5.9) | 3.2(6.1) |
| Alternate healthy eating index 2010‡, mean(SD) | 1.9(1.4) | 2.0(1.4) |
| Physical activity, (METS/week)§s, mean(SD) | 23.9(36.8) | 25.2(37.1) |
| Multivitamin use, % | 44 | 44 |
| Health care usage, % | 97 | 95 |
Values are means (SD) or percentages and are standardized to the age distribution of the study population.
Values of categorical variables may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
*
Value is not age adjusted
†
BMI=body mass index
‡
AHEI-201028 is a score that measures adherence to a diet pattern based on foods and nutrients most predictive of disease risk in the literature
§
METS=metabolic equivalents from recreational and leisure-time activities