Table 2.
Baseline Characteristics Stratified by Race, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, United States, 1987–1989
| White (n = 9,570) | Black (n = 3,029) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk Factor | Mean (SD) | % | Mean (SD) | % |
| Age, years | 53.9 (5.6) | 52.9 (5.7) | ||
| Male sex | 45.6 | 35.7 | ||
APOE  4 allele carriers |
26.3 | 39.0 | ||
| Below high-school educationa | 15.4 | 38.0 | ||
| Family income under $25,000b | 14.4 | 53.5 | ||
| Current tobacco smoker | 21.8 | 26.2 | ||
| Current alcohol drinker | 65.7 | 31.2 | ||
| Body mass indexc | 26.9 (4.8) | 29.8 (6.1) | ||
| Hypertensiond | 25.3 | 52.6 | ||
| Diabetese | 7.5 | 15.6 | ||
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 214.2 (40.3) | 214.8 (44.7) | ||
| HDL cholesterol, mg/dL | 51.1 (16.8) | 55.4 (17.1) | ||
| Individual LC-SES scoref | 10.2 (2.5) | 7.5 (2.7) | ||
Abbreviations: APOE, apolipoprotein E; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LC, life course; SD, standard deviation; SES, socioeconomic status.
a Based on self-report of some high-school education or less at visit 1.
b Based on self-report of income at visit 1.
c Weight (kg)/height (m)2.
d Defined as diastolic blood pressure of >90 mm Hg, systolic blood pressure of >140 mm Hg, or use of hypertensive medication.
e Defined as nonfasting blood glucose of ≥200 mg/dL, fasting blood glucose of ≥126 mg/dL, self-report of diabetes, or reporting taking medication for diabetes or high blood sugar.
f SES score based on sum of scores from 3 life epochs, childhood (age 10 years), young adulthood age 30 years), and middle/older adulthood (study baseline age 45–64 years).