Table 1.
Baseline characteristics, body size and composition, and serum concentrations of PFAS in midlife women from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation Multi-Pollutant Study (N=1,381).
| Characteristics | Median (IQR) or N (%) |
|---|---|
| Age, year | 49.4 (47.3–51.4) |
| Race | |
| White | 700 (50.7%) |
| Black | 298 (21.6%) |
| Chinese | 177 (12.8%) |
| Japanese | 206 (14.9%) |
| Study site | |
| SE Michigan | 250 (18.1%) |
| Boston | 228 (16.5%) |
| Oakland | 308 (22.3%) |
| Los Angeles | 363 (26.3%) |
| Pittsburgh | 232 (16.8%) |
| Education | |
| ≤High school | 248 (18.0%) |
| High school | 442 (21.2%) |
| College | 337 (24.5%) |
| Post-college | 347 (25.3%) |
| Difficulty paying for basics | |
| Very hard | 88 (6.4%) |
| Somewhat hard | 342 (24.9%) |
| Not hard at all | 945 (68.7%) |
| Smoking status | |
| Never smoked | 871 (63.1%) |
| Past smoker | 366 (26.5%) |
| Current smoker | 144 (10.4%) |
| Passive smoking | |
| 0 person-hrs | 824 (59.7%) |
| 1–4 person-hrs | 319 (23.1%) |
| ≥5 person-hrs | 238 (17.2%) |
| Alcohol intake | |
| None/Low use | 733 (53.0%) |
| Moderate use | 324 (23.5%) |
| High use | 324 (23.5%) |
| Physical activity score | 7.8 (6.6–9.0) |
| Menopausal status | |
| Surgical post | 47 (3.4%) |
| Natural post | 154 (11.1%) |
| Late perimenopausal | 111 (8.0%) |
| Early perimenopausal | 705 (51.1%) |
| Premenopausal | 161 (11.7%) |
| Unknown with hormone therapy | 203 (14.7%) |
| Total calorie intake | 1686 (1333–2167) |
| Body size and composition | |
| Weight, kg | 68.7 (58.5–83.9) |
| Waist circumference, cm | 82.3 (73.7–94.9) |
| Fat mass, kg | 25.1 (19.0–34.2) |
| Percent body fat, % | 40.4 (35.6–45.1) |
| PFAS | % >LOD | Median (IQR), ng/mL |
|---|---|---|
| PFHxS | 99.6 | 1.5 (1.0–2.4) |
| Total PFOS | NA | 25.1 (17.7–35.8) |
| n-PFOS | 100 | 17.6 (12.4–25.0) |
| sm-PFOS | 99.9 | 7.3 (4.7–11.2) |
| n-PFOA | 99.9 | 4.1 (2.9–5.8) |
| sb-PFOA | 18.3 | <LOD |
| PFNA | 97.2 | 0.6 (0.4–0.8) |
| PFDA | 41.0 | <LOD (<LOD-0.3) |
| PFUnDA | 31.9 | <LOD (<LOD-0.2) |
| EtFOSAA | 99.0 | 1.2 (0.7–2.2) |
| MeFOSAA | 99.6 | 1.5 (0.9–2.3) |
IQR = interquartile range; >LOD = above the limit of detection of 0.1 ng/mL