Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, 1974–2006, by quintile of weekly running time
| Characteristics | Quintile of weekly running time (minutes/week) |
P value | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All N = 19347 | Non-runners (0) n = 13640 | Q1 (<51) n = 1141 | Q2 (51–80) n = 1186 | Q3 (81–116) n = 1111 | Q4 (117–174) n = 1133 | Q5 (≥175) n = 1136 | ||
| Age (years) | 44.1 (9.6) | 45.0 (9.8) | 40.9 (8.7) | 41.6 (8.8) | 42.0 (8.4) | 42.8 (8.6) | 43.1 (8.9) | <.001 |
| Sex (male) | 15648 (80.9) | 10578 (77.6) | 1036 (90.8) | 1055 (89.0) | 995 (89.6) | 996 (87.9) | 988 (87.0) | <.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2)* | 25.6 (3.8) | 25.9 (4.0) | 25.3 (2.9) | 25.0 (3.1) | 24.8 (3.0) | 24.8 (3.0) | 24.1 (2.7) | <.00 1 |
| Current smokers | 2863(14.8) | 2287 (16.8) | 136 (11.9) | 145 (12.2) | 112 (10.1) | 91 (8.0) | 92 (8.1) | <.001 |
| Heavy alcohol drinking | 3451 (17.8) | 2376 (17.4) | 237 (20.8) | 202 (17.0) | 209 (18.8) | 200 (17.7) | 227 (20.0) | .022 |
| Non-running aerobic physical activity (Met-min/week)† | ||||||||
| 0 | 12241 (63.3) | 8019 (58.8) | 762 (66.8) | 856 (72.2) | 848 (76.3) | 879 (77.6) | 877 (77.2) | <.001 |
| 1–499 | 2710 (14.0) | 2282 (16.7) | 106 (9.3) | 111 (9.3) | 73 (6.6) | 81 (7.1) | 57 (5.0) | |
| ≥500 | 4396 (22.7) | 3339 (24.5) | 273 (23.9) | 219 (18.5) | 190 (17.1) | 173 (15.3) | 202 (17.8) | |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 120 (14) | 120 (14) | 119 (13) | 119 (13) | 119 (14) | 120 (13) | 120 (14) | .014 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 80 (10) | 80 (10) | 79 (9) | 79 (10) | 79 (9) | 79 (9) | 79 (9) | <.001 |
| Hypertension | 5337 (27.6) | 4007 (29.4) | 229 (20.1) | 275 (23.2) | 265 (23.9) | 284 (25.1) | 277 (24.4) | <.001 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 206.2 (38.7) | 208.0 (39.2) | 201.4 (36.7) | 202.4 (38.6) | 203.5 (36.2) | 201.7 (37.3) | 200.5 (37.9) | <.00 1 |
| Hypercholesterol emia | 4980 (25.7) | 3797 (27.8) | 241 (21.1) | 246 (20.7) | 223 (20.1) | 249 (22.0) | 224 (19.7) | <.001 |
| Abnormal ECG‡ | 1318 (6.8) | 1056 (7.7) | 56 (4.9) | 51 (4.3) | 55 (5.0) | 49 (4.3) | 51 (4.5) | <.001 |
| Parental history of diabetes | 1308 (6.8) | 1020 (7.5) | 67 (5.9) | 54 (4.6) | 50 (4.5) | 62 (5.5) | 55 (4.8) | <.001 |
| Cardiorespiratory fitness (METs) | 11.4 (2.5) | 10.6 (2.1) | 12.6 (1.8) | 12.9 (1.9) | 13.3 (1.9) | 13.6 (2.1) | 14.7 (2.5) | <.001 |
| Impaired fasting glucose | 7618 (39.4) | 5482 (40.2) | 441 (38.7) | 452 (38.1) | 410 (36.9) | 411 (36.3) | 422 (37.2) | .012 |
| Baseline fasting glucose (mg/dl) | 97.4 (9.5) | 97.6 (9.6) | 97.4 (8.9) | 97.2 (9.0) | 97.0 (9.1) | 96.9 (9.0) | 96.7 (9.2) | .005 |
Data are presented in mean (SD) unless indicated as number (%).
BMI = body mass index.
MET = metabolic equivalent.
ECG = electrocardiogram. Smoking status (never, former, or current), heavy alcohol drinking (defined as average intake of >7 drinks per week for women, and >14 drinks per week for men); hypertension (defined by blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg or physician diagnosed hypertension), and hypercholesterolemia (defined by total cholesterol ≥240 mg/dl or physician diagnosed hypercholesterolemia); parental history of diabetes (yes or no); and impaired fasting glucose (defined by an elevated fasting plasma glucose concentration (≥100 and <126 mg/dl)).