Table 1. Baseline Characteristics of Participants Who Were Cancer Free in 1998, Health and Retirement Study, United Statesa.
| Characteristic | Total (N = 14 583) | Participants With No Incident Cancer During Follow-up (n = 12 333) | Participants With First Incident Cancer During Follow-up (n = 2250) | 2-Sided P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD), y | 66.4 (10.4) | 66.0 (10.2) | 64.8 (8.5) | <.001 |
| Female | 8453 (58.0) | 7361 (59.7) | 1092 (48.5) | <.001 |
| Nonwhite race | 2480 (17.0) | 2159 (17.5) | 321 (14.3) | <.001 |
| Length of education, median (IQR), y | 12 (11-14) | 12 (11-14) | 12 (12-15) | <.001 |
| Childhood SES index, mean (SD) | 0.07 (0.9) | 0.07 (0.9) | 0.12 (0.9) | .01 |
| Southern birthplace | 5365 (36.8) | 4593 (37.2) | 772 (34.3) | .008 |
| Household wealth per $10 000, median (IQR) | 14.1 (4.8-34.5) | 13.8 (4.5-33.9) | 16.8 (5.8-38.3) | <.001 |
| BMI, mean (SD) | 26.9 (5.1) | 26.9 (5.2) | 27.3 (5.0) | <.001 |
| Vigorous physical activity | 6601 (45.3) | 5492 (44.5) | 1109 (49.3) | <.001 |
| Current smoking | 2418 (16.6) | 2012 (16.3) | 406 (18.0) | .04 |
| Alcohol use | ||||
| Low risk | 4198 (28.7) | 3446 (27.9) | 752 (33.4) | <.001 |
| Binge | 305 (2.1) | 241 (2.0) | 64 (2.8) | |
| Childhood self-rated health | ||||
| Low | 888 (6.1) | 760 (6.2) | 128 (5.7) | .11 |
| Good | 2666 (18.3) | 2285 (18.5) | 381 (16.9) | |
| High | 11 029 (75.6) | 10 463 (75.1) | 1741 (77.4) | |
| Hypertension | 6130 (42.0) | 5188 (42.1) | 942 (41.9) | .86 |
| Diabetes | 1706 (11.7) | 1479 (12.0) | 227 (10.1) | .01 |
| Heart disease | 2788 (19.1) | 2386 (19.4) | 402 (17.9) | .10 |
| Stroke | 896 (6.1) | 773 (6.3) | 123 (5.5) | .15 |
| Lung disease | 922 (6.3) | 771 (6.3) | 151 (6.7) | .41 |
| Arthritis | 7018 (48.1) | 5957 (48.3) | 1061 (47.2) | .32 |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared); IQR, interquartile range; SES, socioeconomic status.
a
Data are presented as number (percentage) of participants unless otherwise indicated.