Table 1.
Demographics and general health characteristics of employed RRMS vs. non-MS respondents
| Employed: RRMS Vs. non-MS respondents | Employed: RRMS Vs. non-MS respondents (Matched sample: ratio 1:4) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed non-MS respondents (N = 102,139) | Employed RRMS respondents (N = 196) | Employed non-MS respondents (N = 784) | Employed RRMS respondents (N = 196) | Test result significancea | Standardized difference | |
| Age, years (mean [SD]) | 41.7 (13.9) | 45.2 (11.0) | 45.3 (11.2) | 45.2 (11.0) | 0.971 | 0.009 |
| Gender | ||||||
| Female, n (%) | 51,141 (50.1) | 137 (69.9) | 553 (70.5) | 137 (69.9) | 0.861 | 0.003 |
| Household Income per year, n (%) | ||||||
| < $25 k | 11,873 (11.6) | 23 (11.7) | 88 (11.2) | 23 (11.7) | 0.487 | |
| $25–< 50 k | 23,517 (23.0) | 41 (20.9) | 161 (20.5) | 41(20.9) | ||
| 50–< 75 k | 21,029 (20.6) | 44 (22.4) | 169 (21.6) | 44 (22.4) | ||
| > $75 k | 41,480 (40.6) | 84 (42.9) | 326 (41.6) | 84 (42.9) | ||
| Declined to answer | 4240 (4.2) | 4 (2.0) | 40 (5.1) | 4 (2.0) | ||
| Marital Status, n (%) | ||||||
| Married or living with partner | 58,213 (57.0) | 125 (63.8) | 491 (62.6) | 125 (63.8) | 0.766 | |
| Not | 43,650 (42.7) | 71 (36.2) | 293 (37.4) | 71 (36.2) | ||
| Declined to answer | 276 (0.3) | 0 (0) | – | – | ||
| Level of Education, n (%) | ||||||
| Completed university education | 55,295 (54.1) | 100 (51.0) | 394 (50.3) | 100 (51.0) | 0.769 | 0.0041 |
| Not | 46,703 (45.7) | 96 (49.0) | 388 (49.5) | 96 (49.0) | 0.0044 | |
| Declined to answer | 141 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 2 (0.3) | 0 (0) | N/A | |
| Health Insurance, n (%) | ||||||
| Yes | 91,509 (89.6) | 185 (94.4) | 746 (95.2) | 185 (94.4) | 0.660 | |
| No | 10,630 (10.4) | 11 (5.6) | 38 (4.8) | 11 (5.6) | 0.0378 | |
| Body Mass Index, n (%) | ||||||
| Underweight (< 18.5 kg/m2) | 3244 (3.2) | 6 (3.1) | 23 (2.9) | 6 (3.1) | 0.122 | 0.076 |
| Normal weight (18.5 to < 25.0 kg/m2) | 35,823 (35.1) | 74 (37.8) | 232 (29.6) | 74 (37.8) | 0.0051 | |
| Overweight (25 to < 30.0 kg/m2) | 31,519 (30.9) | 48 (24.5) | 251 (32.0) | 48 (24.5) | 0.0094 | |
| Obese (30.0 kg/m2 and above) | 28,223 (27.6) | 63 (32.1) | 246 (31.4) | 63 (32.1) | 0.0066 | |
| Declined to answer | 3330 (3.3) | 5 (2.6) | 32 (4.1) | 5 (2.6) | 0.1055 | |
| Smoking Status, n (%) | ||||||
| Current | 16,893 (16.5) | 49 (25.0) | 196 (25.0) | 49 (25.0) | 1.000 | |
| Former | 21,895 (21.4) | 52 (26.5) | 208 (26.5) | 52 (26.5) | ||
| Never | 63,351 (62.0) | 95 (48.5) | 380 (48.5) | 95 (48.5) | ||
| Use of Alcohol, n (%) | ||||||
| Yes | 74,820 (73.3) | 138 (70.4) | 202 (25.8) | 58 (29.6) | 0.278 | |
| No | 27,319 (26.7) | 58 (29.6) | 582 (74.2) | 138 (70.4) | ||
| Vigorous Exercise in the Past 30 Days, n (%) | ||||||
| Yes | 73,040 (71.5) | 132 (67.3) | 263 (33.5) | 64 (32.7) | 0.813 | |
| No | 29,099 (28.5) | 64 (32.7) | 521 (66.5) | 132 (67.3) | ||
| Comorbid Medical Conditions, n (%) | ||||||
| Experienced Anxiety in the past 12 months | 34,639 (33.9) | 88 (44.9) | 271 (34.6) | 88 (44.9) | 0.007 | |
| Experienced Depression in the past 12 months | 24,914 (24.4) | 71 (32.6) | 204 (26.0) | 71 (36.2) | 0.004 | |
| Experienced sleep problems in the past 12 months | 31,473 (30.8) | 87 (44.4) | 263 (33.5) | 87 (44.4) | 0.004 | |
| CCI Scoring, mean (SD) | 0.29 (0.83) | 0.44 (1.40) | 0.34 (0.82) | 0.44 (1.40) | 0.174 | 0.103 |
CCI Charlson Comorbidity Index, MS Multiple Sclerosis, RRMS Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, SD Standard Deviation
aSignificance from Pearson chi-square tests except for age, which was from one-way ANOVA