Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of EPIC-Oxford participants by diet group
| Diet group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics, mean (SD) or n (%) | Meat eaters (n = 29,380) | Fish eaters (n = 8037) | Vegetarians (n = 15,499) | Vegans (n = 1982) |
| Socio-demographic | ||||
| Age, years (SD) | 50.1 (13.1) | 42.7 (13.3) | 40.0 (13.5) | 38.9 (13.6) |
| Sex, women (%) | 22,591 (76.9) | 6614 (82.3) | 11,911 (76.9) | 1266 (63.9) |
| Top socio-economic quartile (%)a | 6947 (27.4) | 1534 (21.9) | 2952 (21.7) | 308 (17.6) |
| Higher education (%) | 8198 (30.8) | 3457 (45.3) | 6289 (42.7) | 797 (42.8) |
| White ethnicity (%) | 28,334 (98.6) | 7717 (97.8) | 14,764 (97.4) | 1848 (97.0) |
| Lifestyle | ||||
| Current smokers (%) | 3623 (12.4) | 805 (10.1) | 1554 (10.1) | 212 (10.8) |
| Alcohol consumption, g/day (SD) | 9.7 (12.6) | 9.8 (12.2) | 9.2 (12.6) | 8.3 (13.5) |
| Moderate or high physical activity (%) | 7516 (30.7) | 2795 (39.4) | 5400 (39.0) | 807 (45.3) |
| Dietary supplement use (%)b | 15,941 (55.4) | 5046 (64.3) | 8660 (56.9) | 1008 (51.9) |
| Health characteristics and medical history | ||||
| Body mass index, kg/m2 (SD) | 24.5 (4.0) | 23.0 (3.4) | 22.9 (3.5) | 22.1 (3.0) |
| < 20 kg/m2 (%) | 2365 (8.3) | 1178 (15.1) | 2508 (16.8) | 456 (23.8) |
| ≥ 25 kg/m2 (%) | 10,407 (36.6) | 1602 (20.6) | 3082 (20.7) | 268 (14.0) |
| Height in men, cm (SD) | 177.6 (7.0) | 178.1 (6.7) | 178.1 (7.0) | 178.1 (6.9) |
| Height in women, cm (SD) | 163.7 (6.7) | 164.6 (6.8) | 164.4 (6.8) | 164.5 (6.9) |
| Premenopausal (%)c | 9625 (44.0) | 4410 (68.2) | 8856 (75.7) | 940 (75.6) |
| Postmenopausal (%)c | 10,106 (46.2) | 1570 (24.3) | 2107 (18.0) | 235 (18.9) |
| Hormone replacement therapy use (%)c | 5945 (26.7) | 805 (12.3) | 992 (8.4) | 69 (5.6) |
| One or more children (%)c | 16,856 (75.2) | 3524 (53.8) | 5215 (44.3) | 431 (34.4) |
| Dietary information | ||||
| Energy, kJ/day (SD) | 8286 (2246) | 7940 (2208) | 7866 (2213) | 7342 (2315) |
| Dietary calcium, mg/day (SD) | 1005 (314) | 1033 (349) | 1030 (369) | 591 (237) |
| Protein, % energy (SD) | 17.0 (3.0) | 14.7 (2.4) | 13.6 (2.1) | 13.3 (2.3) |
Estimates shown are mean (SD) or numbers (%), as stated in left column. Percentages were estimated excluding participants with missing responses
aBased on Townsend deprivation index
bDefined as regularly taking any vitamins, minerals, fish oils, fibre, or other food supplements during the last 12 months
cIn women only