Table 1.
Characteristics of included participants (n = 280 423) by strata of flights of stairs climbed per day
| None (n = 20 226) | 1–5 (n = 52 190) | 6–10 (n = 106 396) | 11–15 (n = 56 001) | ≥16 (n = 45 610) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 58.8 (7.8) | 55.5 (7.9) | 55.9 (8.0) | 55.9 (8.2) | 55.7 (8.2) |
| Age sub‐groups (years old) | |||||
| <60 | 46.1 | 66.2 | 63.0 | 61.6 | 62.2 |
| ≥60 | 53.9 | 33.8 | 37.0 | 38.4 | 37.8 |
| Sociodemographic variables | |||||
| Ethnicity | |||||
| White | 96.4 | 93.8 | 96.0 | 96.5 | 95.6 |
| Asian | 1.1 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| Black | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 |
| Others/mixed background | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| Townsend Deprivation Index, mean (SD) | 2.1 (1.4) | 1.9 (1.4) | 2.2 (1.4) | 2.2 (1.4) | 2.2 (1.4) |
| Education | |||||
| No qualifications | 19.9 | 12.7 | 10.5 | 9.2 | 9.3 |
| Not college/university degree | 52.1 | 50.9 | 50.9 | 49.3 | 47.7 |
| University degree | 28.0 | 36.4 | 38.5 | 41.5 | 42.9 |
| Marital status, living with partner | 65.5 | 68.3 | 77.5 | 79.4 | 80.1 |
| Currently employed | 50.4 | 72.7 | 67.9 | 62.7 | 60.5 |
| Type of accommodation lived in | |||||
| House or bungalow | 71.7 | 79.2 | 95.7 | 97.4 | 97.0 |
| Flat, maisonette, or apartment | 28.3 | 20.8 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 3.0 |
| Household income before tax | |||||
| <£18 000 | 25.6 | 16.1 | 13.1 | 12.6 | 13.0 |
| £18 000–51 999 | 47.9 | 47.6 | 47.9 | 48.3 | 46.1 |
| >£52 000 | 15.3 | 27.7 | 30.1 | 30.3 | 31.0 |
| Those with missing data | 11.3 | 8.6 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 10.0 |
| Lifestyle covariates | |||||
| Total PA (MET‐minutes/week), mean (SD) | 2782.4 (2711.0) | 2380.7 (2531.7) | 2540.7 (2519.7) | 2748.8 (2584.4) | 3245.9 (2874.2) |
| Diet pattern, meeting 2 targets | 70.0 | 65.2 | 68.8 | 72.2 | 74.4 |
| Salt intake | |||||
| Never/rarely | 56.3 | 55.3 | 57.2 | 58.3 | 59.1 |
| Sometimes | 27.0 | 28.3 | 27.8 | 27.5 | 26.8 |
| Usually | 12.0 | 11.9 | 11.2 | 10.8 | 10.3 |
| Always | 4.7 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.8 |
| Alcohol intake | |||||
| Never | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.2 |
| Previous | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.5 |
| Current, <3 times per week | 48.3 | 49.4 | 46.4 | 44.7 | 43.9 |
| Current, ≥3 times per week | 44.4 | 44.0 | 48.4 | 50.3 | 50.4 |
| Smoking status | |||||
| Never | 53.3 | 55.1 | 57.8 | 58.8 | 60.2 |
| Previous | 36.4 | 34.1 | 33.7 | 33.4 | 32.2 |
| Current | 10.2 | 10.8 | 8.6 | 7.8 | 7.7 |
| Screen time (h/day) | |||||
| <2 | 9.8 | 12.0 | 12.2 | 12.8 | 14.1 |
| 2–3 | 17.1 | 18.9 | 19.9 | 19.8 | 20.3 |
| 3–4 | 21.8 | 22.8 | 23.3 | 23.3 | 22.3 |
| 4–5 | 20.7 | 19.3 | 18.9 | 18.8 | 18.2 |
| >5 | 30.6 | 27.0 | 25.6 | 25.3 | 25.2 |
| Health‐related covariates | |||||
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 27.4 (4.5) | 27.8 (4.8) | 27.1 (4.4) | 26.6 (4.1) | 26.2 (4.0) |
| BMI categories (kg/m2) | |||||
| 18.5–24.9 | 31.9 | 30.0 | 34.1 | 38.5 | 42.5 |
| 25–29.9 | 44.8 | 43.4 | 44.4 | 43.9 | 42.3 |
| ≥30 | 23.3 | 26.6 | 21.5 | 17.6 | 15.2 |
| Usual walking pace | |||||
| Slow | 4.4 | 5.0 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| Steady average | 54.3 | 55.9 | 52.8 | 48.5 | 43.5 |
| Fast | 41.2 | 39.1 | 44.3 | 49.5 | 54.7 |
| History of depression | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Diabetes | 5.4 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.0 |
| Hypertension | 58.5 | 52.4 | 51.4 | 49.4 | 48.7 |
| Taking statins medication | 14.8 | 11.4 | 10.8 | 10.3 | 9.5 |
| Longstanding illness, disability, or infirmity | 26.0 | 24.1 | 21.8 | 21.1 | 20.5 |
BMI, body mass index; MET, metabolic equivalent; PA, physical activity.
Values are percentages unless stated otherwise. Dietary pattern is based on meeting at least two out of three healthy eating targets related to food types: (i) ≤3 weekly servings of red meat and ≤1 servings per week of processed meat; (ii) ≥2 servings per week of fish including at least one with oily fish; (iii) ≥5 servings per day of fruits and vegetables.