Table 1.
Sociodemographic characteristics of the total study population (n = 3581) by survey year, Lebanon, 1997 (n = 1063) and 2008/2009 (n = 2518).
| 1997 (n = 1063) |
2008/2009 (n = 2518) |
Total (n = 3581) |
p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± SD | ||||
| Age (years) | 43.4 ± 15.5 | 41.6 ± 16.1 | 42.1 ± 15.9 | 0.002 |
| n (%) | ||||
| Age (years) | ||||
| 20–39.9 | 488 (45.9) | 1317 (52.3) | 1805 (50.4) | 0.002 |
| 40–59.9 | 383 (36.0) | 780 (31.0) | 1163 (32.5) | |
| ≥60 | 192(18.1) | 421 (16.7) | 613 (17.1) | |
| Sex | ||||
| Males | 436 (41.0) | 1136 (45.1) | 1572 (43.9) | 0.024 |
| Females | 627 (59.0) | 1382 (54.9) | 2009 (56.1) | |
| Governorate | ||||
| Beirut | 237 (22.3) | 281 (11.2) | 518 (14.5) | <0.001 |
| Mount Lebanon | 285 (26.8) | 1097 (43.6) | 1382 (38.6) | |
| North | 166 (15.6) | 419 (16.6) | 585 (16.3) | |
| South | 188 (17.7) | 425 (16.8) | 613 (17.1) | |
| Bekaa | 187 (17.6) | 296 (11.8) | 483 (13.5) | |
| Marital status | ||||
| Single | 226 (21.3) | 785 (31.2) | 1011 (28.2) | <0.001 |
| Married | 771 (72.5) | 1522 (60.5) | 2293 (64.1) | |
| Divorced, separated, or widowed | 66 (6.2) | 209 (8.3) | 275 (7.7) | |
| Crowding index | ||||
| <1 Person/Room | 396 (37.3) | 951 (37.8) | 1347 (37.6) | 0.771 |
| ≥1 Person/Room | 667 (62.7) | 1567 (62.2) | 2234 (62.4) | |
| Education level | ||||
| Primary or lower | 346 (32.5) | 531 (21.1) | 877 (24.5) | <0.001 |
| Up to high school or technical school | 464 (43.7) | 1254 (49.8) | 1718 (48.0) | |
| University degree or higher | 253 (23.8) | 733 (29.1) | 986 (27.5) | |
| Employment status | ||||
| Employed | 472 (44.4) | 1248 (49.6) | 1720 (48.0) | 0.001 |
| Not employed * | 591 (55.6) | 1269 (50.5) | 1860 (52.0) | |
Numbers in bold face are statistically significant (p-value ≤ 0.05). * Not employed includes individuals who are not working, do not want to work, looking for work or retired; housewives; students.