Table 1.
Demographic, clinical, and lifestyle characteristics among the 2011–2014 NHANES study participants, ages 40 years and older †.
| Demographic, Clinical, and Lifestyle Characteristics | All Participants | Self-Reported Olfactory Dysfunction a | Self-Reported Normosmic | p-Value * |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 6356 | n = 1399 | n = 4957 | ||
| Age (years) | 57.9 ± 0.2 | 58.6 ± 0.4 | 57.7 ± 0.2 | 0.005 |
| Age/sex categories | ||||
| Males 40–64 years | 34.5 | 7.7 (0.5) | 26.9 (0.9) | 0.5 |
| Males ≥65 years | 12.9 | 3.2 (0.2) | 9.7 (0.4) | |
| Females 40–64 years | 37.1 | 8.0 (0.5) | 29.1 (0.8) | |
| Females ≥65 years | 15.5 | 3.4 (0.3) | 12.2 (0.4) | |
| Race | ||||
| Mexican American | 6.3 | 6.1 (1.5) | 6.3 (1.3) | 0.003 |
| Other Hispanic | 4.9 | 4.6 (1.1) | 5.0 (0.9) | |
| Non-Hispanic White | 71.0 | 73.4 (3.0) | 70.3 (2.9) | |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 10.7 | 9.8 (1.7) | 11.0 (1.6) | |
| Non-Hispanic Asian | 4.7 | 2.9 (0.7) | 5.2 (0.7) | |
| Other Race—Including Multi-Racial | 2.3 | 3.1 (0.7) | 2.1 (0.3) | |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 47.4 | 48.8 (1.6) | 47.0 (0.9) | 0.3 |
| Female | 52.6 | 51.2 (1.6) | 53.0 (0.9) | |
| Education level | ||||
| High school or less | 38.4 | 40.6 (2.6) | 37.8 (2.1) | 0.1 |
| More than high school | 61.6 | 59.4 (2.6) | 62.2 (2.1) | |
| Marital status b | ||||
| Married or living with a partner | 65.6 | 63.2 (1.9) | 66.3 (1.2) | 0.2 |
| Not Married | 34.4 | 36.8 (1.9) | 33.7 (1.2) | |
| Ratio of family income to poverty | 3.1 ± 0.1 | 2.9 ± 0.1 | 3.2 ± 0.1 | <0.001 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 29.3 ± 0.2 | 30.0 ± 0.3 | 29.2 ± 0.2 | <0.001 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 101.4 ± 0.4 | 103.3 ± 0.7 | 100.9 ± 0.4 | <0.001 |
| Chronic disease score c | 0.35 ± 0.01 | 0.43 ± 0.02 | 0.33 ± 0.01 | <0.001 |
| Self-reported general health condition | ||||
| Excellent, very good, good | 79.5 | 72.0 (2.1) | 81.7 (1.1) | <0.001 |
| Fair, Poor | 20.5 | 28.0 (2.1) | 18.3 (1.1) | |
| Physical activity d | ||||
| Yes | 60.4 | 59.1 (2.2) | 60.8 (1.1) | 0.4 |
| No | 39.6 | 40.9 (2.2) | 39.2 (1.1) | |
| History of heavy drinking e | ||||
| Yes | 7.2 | 10.8 (2.3) | 6.2 (1.1) | <0.001 |
| No | 92.8 | 89.2 (2.3) | 93.8 (1.1) | |
| Smoking history | ||||
| Never smokers | 51.7 | 45.0 (2.2) | 53.7 (1.4) | 0.001 |
| Former smokers | 29.9 | 33.5 (1.9) | 28.9 (1.2) | |
| Current smokers | 18.4 | 21.5 (1.5) | 17.5 (1.1) |
† Data are presented as % (standard error of percent) for categorical variables and mean ± standard error of mean for continuous variables. † All statistics weighted. Percentages may not reflect the expected value due to sampling weights and survey-weighted analyses. † The following variables had missing values: education level (n = 6352), marital status (n = 6352), ratio of family income to poverty (n = 5854), body mass index (n = 6274), waist circumference (n = 6082), self-reported general health condition (n = 6048), history of heavy drinking (n = 6015), and smoking history (n = 6352). * p-values for differences between olfactory dysfunction and normosmic participants were obtained by Chi-square or two-tailed t-tests. Bolded items have a significant difference between olfactory dysfunction and normal function. a Self-reported dysfunction is defined as an affirmative response to either: a smell problem in the last 12 months, worse ability to smell since age 25, or smelling phantom odors. b Marital status is dichotomized as married or living with a partner and not married (widowed, divorced, separated, never married). c Chronic disease score is based on reported diabetes, cancer, stroke and heart attack. d Physical activity is defined as self-report of doing at least 10 minutes of vigorous or moderate-intensity work and/or recreational activity at least 3 days in a week. e Heavy drinking history is defined as self-reported history of ever consuming 4–5 drinks every day.