Table 1.
Characteristics of participants and physical functioning scores over the study period.
| 2002–2004 | 2007–2009 | 2012–2013 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | |||
| N | 5394 | 4940 | 4378 |
| Age; median (IQR) | 60.2 (56.0–66.2) | 64.9 (60.9–70.9) | 68.7 (64.8–74.4) |
| Sex; N(%) male | 3920 (72.7) | 3640 (73.7) | 3260 (74.5) |
| Ethnicity; N(%) white | 5002 (92.7) | 4614 (93.4) | 4109 (93.9) |
| Marital status; N(%) married/cohabiting | 4135 (76.7) | 3771 (76.3) | 3300 (75.4) |
| Educational level; N(%) | |||
| ≤ Lower secondary school | 1888 (35.0) | 1672 (33.9) | 1461 (33.4) |
| Higher secondary school | 1520 (28.2) | 1423 (28.8) | 1263 (28.9) |
| ≥ University | 1986 (36.8) | 1845 (37.4) | 1654 (37.8) |
| Employment grade; N(%) | |||
| Low (clerical) | 488 (9.0) | 399 (8.1) | 320 (7.3) |
| Middle (professional and executive) | 2332 (43.2) | 2074 (42.0) | 1816 (41.5) |
| High (administrative) | 2574 (47.7) | 2467 (49.9) | 2242 (51.2) |
| IMD income domain; median (IQR) | 0.06 (0.03–0.11) | 0.06 (0.03–0.10) | 0.06 (0.03–0.10) |
| Alcohol consumption; N(%) daily | 2545 (47.2) | 2313 (46.8) | 2061 (47.1) |
| Fruit and vegetable intake; N(%) > 2 a day | 2228 (41.3) | 2039 (41.3) | 2606 (59.5) |
| Smoking status; N(%) current smokers | 396 (7.3) | 255 (5.2) | 134 (3.1) |
| Country; N(%) living in England | 5238 (97.1) | 4773 (96.6) | 4219 (96.4) |
| Rurality; N(%) rural | 567 (10.5) | 582 (11.8) | 493 (11.3) |
| Physical functioning; mean (SD) | |||
| Walking speed z-score | ~0 (1) | −0.535 (1.000) | −0.441 (0.971) |
| Grip strength z-score | - | ~0 (1) | −0.206 (1.027) |