Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of participants in quartile groups of MET hours/week
| N study population = 54,645 | Quartile groups of MET hours/week | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (N = 13,827) | 2nd (N = 13,554) | 3rd (N = 13,720) | 4th (N = 13,544) | |
| MET hours/weeka | 27 (20; 32) | 47 (42; 52) | 69 (63; 76) | 112 (96; 140) |
| Age | 56 (53; 60) | 56 (53; 60) | 56 (53; 60) | 57 (53; 61) |
| Age groups | ||||
| 50–54 years | 6084 (44) | 6057 (45) | 5907 (43) | 5116 (38) |
| 55–59 years | 4330 (31) | 4214 (31) | 4221 (31) | 4156 (31) |
| 60–64 years | 3413 (25) | 3283 (24) | 3592 (26) | 4272 (31) |
| Gender | ||||
| Women | 6476 (47) | 7125 (53) | 7548 (55) | 7377 (54) |
| Men | 7351 (53) | 6429 (47) | 6172 (45) | 6167 (46) |
| Physical activity at work | ||||
| Sedentary | 5894 (43) | 5598 (41) | 4910 (36) | 3254 (24) |
| Standing | 2382 (17) | 2425 (18) | 2348 (17) | 2254 (17) |
| Manual | 3089 (22) | 3142 (23) | 3413 (25) | 3895 (29) |
| Not working | 2462 (18) | 2389 (18) | 3049 (22) | 4141 (31) |
| Dietary factors | ||||
| Energy (MJ/d), | 9.2 (7.5; 11.0) | 9.4 (7.7; 11.0) | 9.6 (8.0; 11.0) | 10.0 (8.3; 12.0) |
| Dietary fibre intake (g/d) | 19 (15; 23) | 20 (16; 25) | 21 (17; 26) | 22 (17; 27) |
| Meat intake (g/d) | 109 (78; 148) | 105 (76; 143) | 105 (75; 143) | 107 (77; 150) |
| Fermented dairy products | 38 (12; 176) | 53 (16; 198) | 60 (18; 204) | 68 (19; 205) |
| Alcohol intake (g/d) | 13 (6; 31) | 13 (6; 31) | 13 (6; 31) | 13 (5; 31) |
| Smoking | ||||
| Never | 4588 (33) | 4881 (36) | 5068 (37) | 4732 (35) |
| Former | 3840 (28) | 4011 (30) | 4075 (30) | 3864 (28) |
| Current | 5399 (39) | 4662 (34) | 4577 (33) | 4948 (37) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | ||||
| < 25.0 | 5407 (39) | 6015 (44) | 6201 (45) | 6025 (44) |
| ≥ 25 | 8420 (61) | 7539 (56) | 7519 (55) | 7519 (56) |
| Comorbidity | ||||
| No (CCI = 0) | 13,300 (96) | 13,151 (97) | 13,306 (97) | 13,078 (97) |
| Yes (CCI = ≥ 1) | 527 (4) | 403 (3) | 414 (3) | 466 (3) |
| NSAID | ||||
| No | 9337 (68) | 9075 (67) | 9248 (67) | 9155 (68) |
| Yes (> 1 pill/month) | 4490 (32) | 4479 (33) | 4472 (33) | 4389 (32) |
| HRT (women, N = 28,406) | ||||
| Never | 3547 (55) | 3914 (54) | 4065 (54) | 4013 (54) |
| Current | 1954 (30) | 2113 (30) | 2287 (30) | 2193 (30) |
| Former | 975 (15) | 1098 (15) | 1196 (16) | 1171 (16) |
a Median and 25th and 75th percentiles (p1; p3) are presented for continuous variables. Number, N, and percent (%) are presented for categorical variables. All values after exclusion of missings. Abbreviations: MET metabolic equivalent of task, g/d gram per day, BMI body mass index, CCI Charlson’s comorbidity index, HRT hormone replacement therapy, NSAID nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs