Table 1.
Characteristics of the study participants in Eastern China and in Northern Sweden
| Variables | Eastern China (N = 24,055) | Northern Sweden (N = 23,409) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men (n, %) | Women (n, %) | Men (n, %) | Women (n, %) | |
| Age | ||||
| 35–44 / 40 year | 1141 (12.3) | 1901 (12.8) | 3720 (32.0) | 3657 (31.0) |
| 45–54 / 50 year | 3304 (35.7) | 5946 (40.2) | 4036 (34.7) | 4084 (34.6) |
| 55–64 / 60 year | 4805 (52.0) | 6958 (47.0) | 3861 (33.2) | 4051 (34.4) |
| Marital Status | ||||
| Currently married | 8971 (97.0) | 14,042 (94.8) | 9077 (78.1) | 9458 (80.2) |
| Currently unmarried | 279 (3.0) | 763 (5.2) | 2540 (21.9) | 2334 (19.8) |
| Education level | ||||
| High (13 and above) | 409 (4.4) | 520 (3.5) | 3798 (32.7) | 5697 (48.3) |
| Medium (10–12) | 1642 (17.8) | 1683 (11.4) | 6915 (59.5) | 5366 (45.5) |
| Low (up to 9) | 7199 (77.8) | 12,602 (85.1) | 904 (7.8) | 729 (6.2) |
| Smoking | ||||
| Never smokers | 3617 (39.1) | 14,761 (99.7) | 7365 (63.4) | 6818 (57.8) |
| Ex-smokers | 679 (7.3) | 8 (0.1) | 2931 (25.2) | 3727 (31.6) |
| Current smokers | 4954 (53.6) | 36 (0.2) | 1321 (11.4) | 1247 (10.6) |
| Current alcohol drinkers | ||||
| No | 6238 (67.4) | 14,688 (99.2) | 9528 (82.0) | 10,067 (85.4) |
| Yes | 3012 (32.6) | 117 (0.8) | 2089 (18.0) | 1725 (14.6) |
| Physical activity | ||||
| Low level | 6615 (71.5) | 9683 (65.4) | 2174 (18.7) | 1188 (10.1) |
| Moderate level | 1958 (21.2) | 4087 (27.6) | 5518 (47.5) | 5989 (50.8) |
| High level | 677 (7.3) | 1035 (7.0) | 3925 (33.8) | 4615 (39.1) |
| Body mass index | ||||
| Underweight /Normal | 3693 (39.9) | 7724 (52.2) | 3475 (29.9) | 5425 (46.0) |
| Overweight | 4165 (45.0) | 5382 (36.4) | 5429 (46.7) | 3864 (32.8) |
| Obese | 1392 (15.0) | 1699 (11.5) | 2713 (23.4) | 2503 (21.2) |
| Hypercholesterolemia | 617 (6.7) | 1487 (10.0) | 2655 (22.9) | 2540 (21.5) |
| Treatment for cholesterol | NA | NA | 950 (8.2) | 579 (4.9) |
| Fasting blood glucose | ||||
| Normal | 6757 (73.1) | 10,930 (73.8) | 9458 (81.4) | 9877 (83.8) |
| Impaired glucose tolerance | 1202 (13.0) | 2188 (14.8) | 1501 (12.9) | 1492 (12.7) |
| Diabetes | 1291 (14.0) | 1687 (11.4) | NA | NA |
| Diabetes, treated | NA | NA | 374 (3.2) | 246 (2.1) |
| Diabetes, untreated | NA | NA | 284 (2.4) | 177 (1.5) |
| Family history of diabetes | 1115 (12.1) | 2056 (13.9) | 2458 (21.2) | 3024 (25.6) |
| Family history of hypertension | 4280 (46.3) | 7442 (50.3) | 2119 (18.2) | 2414 (20.5) |