Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the RHS cohort
| Characteristic* | Total | Alive | Deceased from all causes | Deceased from cardio-vascular causes | Deceased from cancer-related causes |
| Mean age (SD) years (n=2985) | 52.4 (7.8) | 52.2 (7.8) | 56.9 (6.0) | 57.4 (5.4) | 57.5 (5.2) |
| Age group: 35–44 years | 514 (17.2) | 509 (18.1) | 5 (3.0) | 1 (1.4) | 0 (0.0) |
| 45–54 years | 1140 (38.2) | 1092 (38.8) | 48 (28.4) | 19 (26.0) | 9 (29.0) |
| 55–64 years | 1331 (44.6) | 1215 (43.1) | 116 (68.6) | 53 (72.6) | 22 (71.0) |
| Gender: Males (n=2985) | 1349 (45.2) | 1242 (44.1) | 107 (63.3) | 46 (63.0) | 19 (61.3) |
| Education (n=2971) | |||||
| Below G.C.E. Ordinary Level | 1358 (45.7) | 1263 (45.1) | 95 (56.2) | 35 (47.9) | 16 (51.6) |
| Occupation (n=2964) | |||||
| Administrative and professional | 285 (9.6) | 273 (9.8) | 12 (7.1) | 5 (6.9) | 2 (6.4) |
| Clerical and technical | 619 (20.9) | 582 (20.8) | 37 (21.9) | 17 (23.3) | 6 (19.4) |
| Elementary occupations | 188 (6.3) | 170 (6.1) | 18 (10.6) | 6 (8.2) | 6 (19.4) |
| Unemployed | 1872 (63.2) | 1770 (63.3) | 102 (60.4) | 45 (61.6) | 17 (54.8) |
| Monthly family income (n=2921) | |||||
| Lowest income quartile | 426 (14.6) | 385 (14.0) | 41 (25.0) | 17 (23.9) | 8 (26.7) |
| Smoking (n=2985) | |||||
| Non-smokers | 2131 (71.4) | 2045 (72.6) | 86 (50.9) | 39 (53.4) | 16 (51.6) |
| Ex-smokers | 368 (12.3) | 323 (11.5) | 45 (26.6) | 20 (27.4) | 7 (22.6) |
| Current smokers | 486 (16.3) | 448 (15.9) | 38 (22.5) | 14 (19.2) | 8 (25.8) |
| Alcohol (n=2985) | |||||
| Harmful alcohol users | 554 (18.6) | 505 (17.9) | 49 (29.0) | 21 (28.8) | 9 (29.0) |
| Overweight and obese (n=2974) | |||||
| BMI ≥25 kg/m2 | 1164 (39.1) | 1105 (39.4) | 59 (34.9) | 29 (39.7) | 13 (41.9) |
| High waist circumference (n=2983) | |||||
| Men >90 cm, Women >80 cm | 1618 (54.2) | 1539 (54.7) | 79 (46.7) | 37 (50.7) | 16 (51.6) |
| Diabetes (n=2983) | 709 (23.8) | 629 (22.4) | 80 (47.4) | 39 (53.4) | 13 (41.9) |
| Hypertension (n=2984) | 1311 (43.9) | 1215 (43.2) | 96 (56.8) | 49 (67.1) | 18 (58.1) |
| Dyslipidaemia (n=2969) | 1909 (64.3) | 1802 (64.3) | 107 (63.7) | 50 (68.5) | 17 (56.7) |
*Presented as number (percentage) unless specified otherwise.
BMI, body mass index; G.C.E., General Certificate of Education; RHS, Ragama Health Study.