Table 1.
Characteristics of participants of English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA, 2012–2013) and Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI, 2015–2016)
| ELSA (n 5301) | ELSI (n 1947) | |
|---|---|---|
| Socio-economic variables | ||
| Age in years | ||
| Mean | 66·7 | 62·2 |
| sd | 8·9 | 9·5 |
| Female sex | 55·1 | 53·2 |
| Skin colour (non-white) | 2·5 | 56·4 |
| Schooling | ||
| 0–11 years | 38·1 | 90·0 |
| 12–13 years | 28·8 | 2·4 |
| 14 years or more | 33·1 | 7·3 |
| Did not answer | – | 0·3 |
| Marital status (single, divorced or widowed) | 32·7 | 34·2 |
| Income in quintiles (%) | ||
| 1st quintile | 23·5 | 26·4 |
| 2nd quintile | 22·4 | 18·2 |
| 3rd quintile | 21·3 | 18·5 |
| 4th quintile | 18·6 | 20·1 |
| 5th quintile | 14·2 | 16·8 |
| Behavioural variables | ||
| Alcohol intake | ||
| Non-drinker | 18·8 | 91·1 |
| Frequent drinker | 39·9 | 6·5 |
| Daily drinkers | 33·6 | 2·4 |
| Did not answer | 7·7 | |
| Smoking | ||
| Non-smoker | 38·5 | 45·8 |
| Ex-smoker | 50·3 | 38·9 |
| Smokers | 11·2 | 15·3 |
| Physically inactive | 3·5 | 28·6 |
| Health conditions | ||
| Hypertension (yes) | 37·5 | 53·4 |
| Stroke (yes) | 3·5 | 4·9 |
| CVD (yes) | 15·8 | 13·7 |
| Biochemical measures | ||
| Glycated Hb | ||
| Mean | 5·9 | 6·1 |
| sd | 0·7 | 1·3 |
| HDL (<1·03 mmol/l men; <1·29 mmol/l women) | 10·5 | 48·1 |
| TAG (≥1·69 mmol/l) | 30·1 | 49·3 |
| Anthropometrics | ||
| BMI | ||
| <18·5 kg/m2 | 0·8 | 2·2 |
| ≥18·5 and <25 kg/m2 | 27·4 | 27·2 |
| ≥25 and <30 kg/m2 | 42·5 | 37·8 |
| ≥30 kg/m2 | 29·3 | 32·8 |
| Waist circumference (>102 cm men; >88 cm women) | 50·4 | 47·9 |
All data presented as percentages, except where indicated: mean, sd. Self-reported doctor diagnosis of hypertension, stroke and CVD (angina, heart attack, congestive heart failure, vesicular murmur and arrhythmia).