Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants according to quintiles of high- and low-pesticide-residue fruit and vegetable intake.
| Quintile of High-Pesticide-Residue Fruit and Vegetable Intake |
Quintile of Low-Pesticide-Residue Fruit and Vegetable Intake |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | Quintile 1 | Quintile 3 | Quintile 5 | Quintile 1 | Quintile 3 | Quintile 5 |
| Nurses’ Health Study (1998) | ||||||
| Number of participants | 14,317 | 14,028 | 13,948 | 14,314 | 14,034 | 14,026 |
| High-pesticide-residue FVs (servings/day) | 0.5(0.2) | 1.3(0.1) | 3.1(1.0) | 0.9(0.7) | 1.5(0.8) | 2.2(1.2) |
| Low-pesticide-residue FVs (servings/day) | 1.4(0.9) | 2.2(1.0) | 3.1(1.4) | 0.8(0.3) | 2.0(0.2) | 4.1(1.1) |
| Total FVs (servings/day) | 2.5(1.2) | 4.5(1.3) | 7.6(2.3) | 2.4(1.1) | 4.5(1.1) | 7.7(2.2) |
| Age (y) | 64.3(7.3) | 64.4(7.0) | 64.2(6.9) | 64.5(7.3) | 64.2(7.1) | 64.1(6.8) |
| Height (cm) | 163.6(6.2) | 163.8(6.1) | 163.9(6.2) | 163.5(6.2) | 163.9(6.1) | 163.9(6.1) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.8(5.5) | 26.8(5.2) | 26.3(5.2) | 26.9(5.4) | 26.7(5.3) | 26.4(5.2) |
| Postmenopause (%) | 94.3 | 93.6 | 94.1 | 94.0 | 93.8 | 94.1 |
| White (%) | 97.3 | 97.7 | 97.4 | 97.1 | 97.7 | 97.3 |
| Physical activity (MET-hours/wk) | 11.8(16.5) | 16.9(19.7) | 24.0(26.4) | 13.0(17.7) | 17.0(22.0) | 22.7(24.9) |
| Family history of cancer (%) | 26.9 | 28.0 | 28.7 | 27.1 | 28.2 | 28.4 |
| Physical examination in the past 2 years (%) | 87.5 | 90.7 | 92.0 | 88.0 | 90.6 | 91.6 |
| History of colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy (%) | 19.3 | 22.0 | 23.1 | 20.9 | 21.5 | 22.6 |
| Mammography in the past 2 years (%) | 84.3 | 88.4 | 89.5 | 84.3 | 88.2 | 89.2 |
| Never smoker (%) | 41.8 | 46.0 | 49.9 | 42.0 | 46.4 | 49.1 |
| No of pack-years among ever smokers | 18.0 (23.3) | 13.1(19.4) | 10.2 (16.5) | 17.5(23.0) | 12.9(19.4) | 11.1(17.7) |
| Current hormone therapy use (%) | 43.5 | 47.2 | 48.2 | 44.7 | 47.9 | 47.7 |
| Current multivitamin usef (%) | 55.5 | 61.8 | 64.8 | 56.1 | 61.1 | 64.2 |
| Regular aspirin use (%) | 28.1 | 29.1 | 28.3 | 26.8 | 28.4 | 29.7 |
| Total energy intake (kcal/day) | 1,462(481) | 1,711(495) | 2,007(538) | 1,407(458) | 1,706(467) | 2,085(533) |
| Alcohol intake (g/day) | 4.9(9.9) | 5.2(9.2) | 4.7(8.1) | 4.3(9.1) | 5.1(9.2) | 5.3(9.0) |
| Modified AHEI (score)* | 37.9(8.3) | 39.2(8.5) | 40.9(8.7) | 41.4(8.7) | 38.7(8.5) | 37.8(8.0) |
| Nurses’ Health Study II (1999) | ||||||
| Number of participants | 16,396 | 16,418 | 16,202 | 16,236 | 16,218 | 16,209 |
| High-pesticide-residue FVs (servings/day) | 0.4(0.1) | 1.2(0.1) | 2.9(1.2) | 0.7(0.6) | 1.3(0.8) | 2.2(1.3) |
| Low-pesticide-residue FVs (servings/day) | 1.2(0.8) | 1.9(0.9) | 3.0(1.5) | 0.7(0.2) | 1.8(0.1) | 3.9(1.2) |
| Total FVs (servings/day) | 2.0(1.0) | 3.7(1.2) | 7.0(2.4) | 1.9(1.0) | 3.8(1.2) | 7.0(2.4) |
| Age (y) | 44.3(4.7) | 44.6(4.6) | 45.1(4.6) | 44.5(4.7) | 44.7(4.6) | 44.9(4.6) |
| Height (cm) | 164.5(6.6) | 164.8(6.5) | 164.9(6.7) | 164.5(6.7) | 164.9(6.6) | 165.0(6.7) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.2(6.7) | 26.4(6.1) | 25.9(5.8) | 27.0(6.5) | 26.4(6.1) | 26.1(6.0) |
| Postmenopause (%) | 23.0 | 22.2 | 22.6 | 23.4 | 22.3 | 22.5 |
| White (%) | 95.7 | 96.8 | 96.5 | 95.5 | 97.0 | 96.1 |
| Physical activity (MET-hours/wk) | 12.9(7.8) | 18.2(22.5) | 24.7(26.5) | 14.4(19.4) | 17.9(21.8) | 23.2(26.5) |
| Family history of cancer (%) | 18.8 | 20.2 | 20.3 | 19.5 | 19.8 | 19.6 |
| Physical examination in the past 2 years (%) | 84.3 | 87.4 | 88.2 | 84.8 | 87.4 | 87.7 |
| History of colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy (%) | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.6 |
| Mammography in the past two years (%) | 75.0 | 77.3 | 77.7 | 75.2 | 77.4 | 78.1 |
| Never smoker (%) | 64.2 | 66.8 | 66.6 | 64.3 | 65.9 | 68.3 |
| No of pack-years among ever smokers | 5.8(10.8) | 4.4(8.6) | 3.9(7.6) | 5.6(10.5) | 4.4(8.7) | 3.8(7.7) |
| Current hormone therapy use (%) | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Current multivitamin use (%) | 50.5 | 57.5 | 63.4 | 50.8 | 57.9 | 63.4 |
| Regular aspirin use (%) | 6.7 | 5.8 | 6.0 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 6.0 |
| Total energy intake (kcal/day) | 1,545(514) | 1,813(521) | 2,129(556) | 1,471(478) | 1,806(492) | 2,219(544) |
| Alcohol intake (g/day) | 3.5(7.8) | 4.1(7.3) | 4.1(6.8) | 3.3(7.3) | 4.0(7.0) | 4.3(7.1) |
| Modified AHEI (score)* | 36.9(8.9) | 38.4(9.4) | 40.7(9.8) | 39.9(9.2) | 38.5(9.6) | 37.4(9.3) |
| Health Professionals Follow-up Study (1998) | ||||||
| Number of participants | 5,918 | 5,741 | 5,829 | 5,890 | 5,898 | 5,903 |
| High-pesticide-residue FVs (servings/day) | 0.5(0.2) | 1.4(0.1) | 3.4(1.2) | 1.0(0.8) | 1.5(0.9) | 2.4(1.4) |
| Low-pesticide-residue FVs (servings/day) | 1.6(1.0) | 2.4(1.1) | 3.4(1.6) | 0.9(0.3) | 2.2(0.2) | 4.5(1.3) |
| Total FVs (servings/day) | 2.7(1.3) | 4.7(1.4) | 8.3(2.6) | 2.6(1.2) | 4.7(1.2) | 8.3(2.5) |
| Age (y) | 63.3(9.1) | 64.4(9.0) | 66.0(9.0) | 63.8(9.1) | 64.6(9.0) | 64.8(9.1) |
| Height (cm) | 178.1(6.7) | 178.4(6.8) | 178.5(6.9) | 178.2(6.9) | 178.4(6.8) | 178.6(6.7) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.3(3.6) | 26.2(3.6) | 25.7(3.6) | 26.3(3.6) | 26.1(3.6) | 25.9(3.6) |
| White (%) | 90.1 | 91.9 | 91.2 | 90.2 | 91.7 | 90.6 |
| Physical activity (MET-hours/wk) | 25.0(31.6) | 34.5(38.3) | 46.0(46.1) | 27.6(33.7) | 34.2(37.1) | 43.7(45.6) |
| Family history of cancer (%) | 28.7 | 28.8 | 29.6 | 27.8 | 29.5 | 29.2 |
| Physical examination in the past 2 years (%) | 79.9 | 81.7 | 83.7 | 79.5 | 82.8 | 83.0 |
| History of colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy (%) | 25.1 | 27.2 | 29.5 | 25.5 | 27.8 | 27.9 |
| Prostate specific antigen testing in the past 2 years (%) | 72.4 | 74.4 | 77.7 | 71.8 | 75.9 | 76.5 |
| Never smoker (%) | 47.9 | 52.5 | 57.4 | 49.0 | 51.8 | 56.9 |
| No of pack-years among ever smokers (%) | 15.6(21.2) | 11.9(17.3) | 9.7(15.8) | 15.0(20.7) | 12.1(17.8) | 10.2(16.4) |
| Current multivitamin use (%) | 55.7 | 59.2 | 62.9 | 55.6 | 60.1 | 63.7 |
| Regular aspirin use (%) | 39.0 | 38.8 | 37.0 | 38.3 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| Total energy intake (kcal/day) | 1,722(557) | 1,991(580) | 2,300(644) | 1,659(520) | 1,976(547) | 2,388(637) |
| Alcohol intake (g/day) | 11.7(16.3) | 11.2(13.9) | 9.6(12.1) | 11.0(15.4) | 11.0(13.8) | 10.4(12.9) |
| Modified AHEI (Score)* | 32.1(8.1) | 34.6(7.9) | 38.2(8.4) | 35.1(8.7) | 34.5(8.3) | 35.4(7.9) |
Values are means (SD) or percentages. All variables except age are age-standardized.
Abbreviations: Modified AHEI, Modified Alternate Healthy Eating Index score; BMI, body mass index; METs: metabolic equivalent tasks; FV: fruits and vegetables;
*
Modified AHEI: AHEI-2010, but excluding criteria for intakes of fruits and vegetables, and alcohol.
METs are defined as the ratio of calories needed per kilogram of body weight per hour of physical activity divided by the calories needed per kilogram of body weight at rest.