Table 2.

Participant characteristics

Characteristic	Healthy population N = 502	LTC population N = 266	All N = 768
Age (years)
Mean (SD, range)	32.46 (3.8, 23–45)	31.32 (4.6, 21–42)	32.06 (4.2, 21–45)
Age when left full time education
≤ 16 years old	25 (5.0)	23 (8.6)	48 (6.3)
17–18 years old	84 (16.7)	74 (27.8)	158 (20.6)
≥ 19 years	381 (75.9)	162 (60.9)	543 (70.7)
Still in full time education	6 (1.2)	7 (2.6)	13 (1.7)
Missing	6 (1.2)	–	6 (0.8)
Partner
Yes	487 (97.0)	251 (94.4)	738 (96.1)
No	8 (1.6)	11 (4.1)	19 (2.5)
Missing	7 (1.4)	4 (1.5)	11 (1.4)
Ethnic group, n (%)
White British	416 (82.9)	236 (88.7)	652 (84.9)
White (other)	39 (7.8)	17 (6.4)	56 (7.3)
Black African	1 (0.2)	–	1 (0.1)
Black Caribbean	4 (0.8)	2 (0.8)	6 (0.8)
Asian	17 (3.4)	1 (0.4)	18 (2.3)
Mixed race	14 (2.8)	5 (1.9)	19 (2.5)
Other	3 (0.6)	3 (1.1)	6 (0.8)
Prefer not to say	2 (0.4)	1 (0.4)	3 (0.4)
Missing	6 (1.2)	1 (0.4)	7 (0.9)
Long-term condition
Autoimmune disorder	–	4 (1.5)	4 (0.5)
Cardiovascular condition	–	17 (6.4)	17 (2.2)
Dermatological disorder	–	3 (1.1)	3 (0.4)
Endocrine problem	–	38 (14.3)	38 (4.9)
Gastrointestinal condition	–	55 (20.7)	55 (7.2)
Gynaecological and urinary tract condition	–	14 (5.3)	14 (1.8)
Haematological	–	3 (1.1)	3 (0.4)
Joint, bone and connective tissues disorders	–	79 (29.7)	79 (10.3)
Mental health condition	–	123 (46.2)	123 (16.0)
Neurological conditions including disorders of the peripheral nerves	–	31 (11.7)	31 (4.0)
Other	–	5 (1.9)	5 (0.7)
Respiratory condition		76 (28.6)	76 (9.9)
Number of long-term conditions
1	–	143 (53.6)	143 (18.6)
2	–	80 (30.1)	80 (10.4)
3	–	31 (11.7)	31 (4.0)
4+	–	12 (4.6)	12 (1.6)