Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the Epirus Health Study participants overall and according to sex.
| Total (n = 1237) | Women (n = 748) | Men (n = 489) | p-Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age (years) | 48.1 (11.0) | 48.2 (10.8) | 48.0 (11.5) | 0.79 |
| Education (years) | ||||
| ≤12 | 408 (33.0) | 241 (32.3) | 167 (34.2) | |
| >12 | 827 (67.0) | 505 (67.7) | 322 (65.8) | 0.50 |
| Employment status | ||||
| Employed | 927 (75.3) | 538 (72.3) | 389 (79.9) | |
| Other | 304 (24.7) | 206 (27.7) | 98 (20.1) | 2.6−03 |
| After-tax income (€/month) | ||||
| ≤500 | 151 (13.1) | 117 (16.8) | 34 (7.5) | |
| 501–900 | 298 (25.9) | 205 (29.4) | 93 (20.5) | |
| 901–1400 | 515 (44.7) | 306 (43.9) | 209 (46.0) | |
| >1400 | 187 (16.2) | 69 (9.9) | 118 (26.0) | 3.1−15 |
| Lifestyle | ||||
| PSQI | 4.9 (2.5) | 5.1 (2.7) | 4.5 (2.1) | 2.7−06 |
| MEDAS | 7.2 (1.8) | 7.4 (1.7) | 7.1 (1.8) | 3.2−03 |
| Physical activity (MET-hours/week) | 15.3 (20.1) | 13.6 (18.8) | 18.0 (21.7) | 1.9−04 |
| Smoking status | ||||
| Never smokers | 423 (34.2) | 278 (37.2) | 145 (29.7) | |
| Former smokers | 431 (34.9) | 234 (31.3) | 197 (40.3) | |
| Current smokers | 382 (30.9) | 235 (31.5) | 147 (30.1) | 2.6−03 |
| Alcohol consumption | ||||
| Never | 151 (12.2) | 114 (15.3) | 37 (7.6) | |
| Less than once/month | 362 (29.3) | 261 (34.9) | 101 (20.7) | |
| 1–3 times/month | 211 (17.1) | 125 (16.7) | 86 (17.6) | |
| 1–2 times/week | 342 (27.7) | 180 (24.1) | 162 (33.1) | |
| At least 3 times/week | 170 (13.8) | 67 (9.0) | 103 (21.1) | 1.8−15 |
| Cellphone use at least once/week (years) | ||||
| ≤10 | 81 (6.6) | 64 (8.6) | 17 (3.5) | |
| 11–15 | 149 (12.1) | 101 (13.5) | 48 (9.8) | |
| 16–20 | 273 (22.1) | 162 (21.7) | 111 (22.7) | |
| >20 | 733 (59.3) | 420 (56.2) | 313 (64.0) | 4.0−04 |
| Dietary supplement use during last week | 384 (31.4) | 276 (37.3) | 108 (22.4) | 4.2−08 |
| Personal medical history (self-reported) | ||||
| General health status | ||||
| Very good | 460 (37.2) | 256 (34.3) | 204 (41.7) | |
| Good | 626 (50.7) | 390 (52.3) | 236 (48.3) | |
| Moderate/Bad/Very bad | 149 (12.1) | 100 (13.4) | 49 (10.0) | 0.02 |
| Chronic health condition | 507 (41.2) | 338 (45.4) | 169 (34.8) | 2.5−04 |
| Limitation of usual activities during last year because of a health issue | 191 (15.5) | 124 (16.6) | 67 (13.7) | 0.17 |
| Symptoms of stress during last 2 weeks | 44 (3.6) | 37 (5.0) | 7 (1.4) | 1.1−03 |
| Symptoms of depression during last 2 weeks | 38 (3.1) | 31 (4.1) | 7 (1.4) | 0.01 |
| Diabetes mellitus diagnosis | 62 (5.0) | 43 (5.8) | 19 (3.9) | 0.14 |
| High cholesterol diagnosis | 326 (26.5) | 201 (26.9) | 125 (25.7) | 0.63 |
| High blood pressure diagnosis | 168 (13.6) | 80 (10.7) | 88 (18.0) | 2.5−04 |
| Bleeding gums | 424 (34.3) | 268 (35.9) | 156 (31.9) | 0.15 |
| Lost/removed teeth (excl. wisdom teeth) | 743 (61.5) | 453 (62.2) | 290 (60.3) | 0.50 |
| No. of dental fillings | 3.3 (3.7) | 3.4 (3.9) | 3.2 (3.4) | 0.55 |
| Hearing impairment | 92 (7.4) | 48 (6.4) | 44 (9.0) | 0.09 |
| Weight change since last year | ||||
| Same weight | 650 (52.7) | 363 (48.6) | 287 (58.9) | |
| Weight gain | 381 (30.9) | 271 (36.3) | 110 (22.6) | |
| Weight loss | 203 (16.5) | 113 (15.1) | 90 (18.5) | 2.4−06 |
| Weight at 18 years (kg) | 62.8 (12.5) | 56.6 (8.6) | 73.3 (10.9) | 3.0−131 |
| No. of drugs taken during last week | ||||
| 0 | 777 (63.4) | 451 (60.8) | 326 (67.5) | |
| 1 | 244 (19.9) | 162 (21.8) | 82 (17.0) | |
| ≥2 | 204 (16.7) | 129 (17.4) | 75 (15.5) | 0.05 |
| Clinical examinations | ||||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.5 (4.8) | 25.7 (4.9) | 27.7 (4.4) | 2.6−12 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 93.7 (13.8) | 88.7 (12.6) | 101.1 (12.1) | 4.7−58 |
| Hip circumference (cm) | 101.9 (8.0) | 102.0 (8.4) | 101.6 (7.3) | 0.35 |
| Fat mass (%) 1 | 28.5 (7.7) | 31.9 (6.9) | 23.5 (5.9) | 9.2−89 |
| Fasting glucose (mg/dL) | 86.3 (15.2) | 84.3 (15.2) | 89.4 (14.6) | 9.3−09 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 195.1 (34.2) | 195.7 (33.6) | 194.2 (35.3) | 0.44 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 126.2 (34.0) | 123.3 (33.8) | 130.5 (33.9) | 3.5−04 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dL) | 54.4 (12.4) | 58.8 (12.1) | 47.7 (9.5) | 2.6−57 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 96.2 (57.7) | 85.2 (50.3) | 112.9 (63.8) | 1.7−16 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) 2 | 119.2 (13.4) | 116.1 (13.1) | 123.9 (12.5) | 2.5−23 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) 2 | 77.6 (10.4) | 75.1 (9.6) | 81.5 (10.3) | 1.4−26 |
| Pulse wave velocity 2 | 6.9 (1.4) | 6.8 (1.4) | 7.1 (1.4) | 1.1−03 |
Abbreviations: PSQI; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, MEDAS; Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener, MET; Metabolic Equivalent of Energy Expenditure, BMI; Body Mass Index, LDL; Low-density lipoprotein, HDL; High-density lipoprotein. Characteristics are presented as mean (standard deviation) for continuous variables and frequency (percentage) for categorical variables. Independent samples t-tests or chi-squared tests were used for comparing associations by sex. 1 Fat mass was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis. 2 Systolic, diastolic blood pressure and pulse wave velocity were measured as average of three consecutive measurements with an arterial stiffness monitor.