Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of study population according to Chinese famine exposure between 1959 and 1961.
| Unexposed group | Fetal-exposed group | Childhood-exposed group | Adolescence/adult-exposed group | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | 3655 | 621 | 2877 | 2435 | |
| Age (years) | 40.8 (0.06) | 47.3 (0.09) | 53.5 (0.07) | 65.6 (0.09) | 0.01 |
| Men (%) | 38.4 | 39.1 | 36.7 | 44.4 | 0.01 |
| Rural area (%) | 32.6 | 41.9 | 42.4 | 41.2 | 0.01 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.6 (0.12) | 25.3 (0.15) | 25.7 (0.07) | 26.3 (0.15) | 0.01 |
| Obesity (%) | 20.2 | 22.7 | 23.3 | 24.2 | 0.01 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | |||||
| Men | 85.0 (0.56) | 87.2 (0.71) | 86.5 (0.33) | 88.3 (0.69) | 0.01 |
| Women | 82.1 (0.39) | 82.8 (0.52) | 83.2 (0.25) | 83.6 (0.55) | 0.22 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 131.3 (0.65) | 132.6 (0.84) | 133.8 (0.39) | 137.0 (0.86) | 0.01 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 80.8 (0.38) | 84.0 (0.50) | 85.8 (0.23) | 86.6 (0.51) | 0.01 |
| FPG (mmol/L) | -0.06 (0.03) | 0.02 (0.04) | 0.01 (0.02) | 0.07 (0.04) | 0.10 |
| 2hPG (mmol/L) | -0.15 (0.03) | -0.04 (0.04) | 0.02 (0.02) | 0.22 (0.05) | 0.01 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | -0.07 (0.03) | 0.01 (0.04) | 0.09 (0.02) | 0.00 (0.04) | 0.01 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | -0.02 (0.03) | 0.03 (0.04) | 0.06 (0.02) | -0.05 (0.04) | 0.01 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 0.08 (0.03) | 0.07 (0.04) | 0.00 (0.02) | -0.13 (0.04) | 0.01 |
| Family income (%) | |||||
| Low | 66.7 | 71.8 | 72.3 | 77.3 | 0.01 |
| Medium | 22.4 | 19.3 | 21.3 | 16.0 | |
| High | 10.9 | 8.9 | 6.5 | 6.7 | |
| Education levels (%) | |||||
| Primary | 16.6 | 19.3 | 36.4 | 60.5 | 0.01 |
| Secondary | 46.4 | 34.5 | 36.6 | 20.0 | |
| Advanced | 37.0 | 46.2 | 27.0 | 19.5 | |
| Current smoking (%) | 22.4 | 23.5 | 21.8 | 22.1 | 0.80 |
| Current drinking (%) | 18.0 | 20.8 | 17.6 | 17.0 | 0.17 |
Data are age-adjusted mean (SE) or as noted. BMI: body mass index; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; FPG: fasting plasma glucose; HDL-C: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; 2hPG: 2-hour plasma glucose; SBP: systolic blood pressure.