Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of 4300 participants in the study sample according to the thirds of pulse wave velocity
| [Mean (SD) or %] | P value for heterogeneity | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thirds of baseline pulse wave velocity (m/s) | ||||
| Lowest third (< 7.41) | Middle third (7.41–8.91) | Highest third (> 8.91) | ||
| Number | 1436 | 1438 | 1426 | |
| Age (y) | 63.1 (4.9) | 64.8 (5.5) | 68.0 (5.6) | < 0.001 |
| Female (%) | 28.9 | 25.1 | 21.7 | < 0.001 |
| Non-white ethnicity (%) | 5.6 | 6.9 | 10.4 | < 0.001 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | < 0.001 | |||
| Underweight (< 18.5) | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | |
| Normal weight (18.5–24.9) | 50.1 | 37.1 | 32.7 | |
| Overweight (25.0–29.9) | 37.7 | 47.3 | 48.2 | |
| Obese (≥ 30.0) | 10.4 | 15.0 | 18.2 | |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 117.6 (13.4) | 124.0 (13.9) | 132.0 (15.5) | < 0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 67.5 (9.4) | 71.0 (9.5) | 73.5 (10.3) | < 0.001 |
| Anti-hypertension medication (%) | 23.6 | 32.9 | 41.6 | < 0.001 |
| Serum cholesterol (mmol/L) | 5.28 (1.03) | 5.19 (1.04) | 5.17 (1.09) | 0.009 |
| Lipid lowering medication (%) | 23.3 | 32.0 | 36.6 | < 0.001 |
| Education | < 0.001 | |||
| ≤ Lower secondary | 26.4 | 32.7 | 36.9 | |
| Higher secondary | 29.5 | 28.1 | 26.6 | |
| ≥ Degree | 44.1 | 39.2 | 36.5 | |
| Employment grade | 0.04 | |||
| High | 51.9 | 49.3 | 48.2 | |
| Intermediate | 40.7 | 42.5 | 41.5 | |
| Low | 7.4 | 8.2 | 10.3 | |
| Smoking habit | 0.03 | |||
| Never | 51.4 | 47.3 | 48.6 | |
| Ex-smoker | 43.4 | 47.0 | 47.5 | |
| Current | 5.2 | 5.8 | 3.9 | |
| Alcohol consumption | < 0.001 | |||
| No alcohol | 14.5 | 17.1 | 17.6 | |
| Moderate alcohol | 71.7 | 65.3 | 64.2 | |
| Heavy alcohol | 13.8 | 17.6 | 18.1 | |
| Moderate or vigorous physical activity | 0.01 | |||
| < 1 h/wk | 19.3 | 23.4 | 23.2 | |
| 1–6.9 h/wk | 61.7 | 59.7 | 61.3 | |
| ≥ 7 h/wk | 19.0 | 17.0 | 15.5 | |
| Diabetes (%) | 5.9 | 9.5 | 18.5 | < 0.001 |
| History of cardiovascular disease (%) | 9.6 | 10.8 | 14.7 | < 0.001 |