TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of UK Biobank participants included in this study, by quarters of HEFI-2019 scores1
| Characteristics | Q1 (min to 38.3) (n = 34,174) | Q2 (>38.3 to 45.8) (n = 34,175) | Q3 (>45.8 to 52.6) (n = 34,175) | Q4 (>52.6 to max) (n = 34,174) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at dietary assessment, y | 55.7 ± 8.2 | 57.0 ± 8.1 | 57.7 ± 7.8 | 58.5 ± 7.6 |
| Sedentary time, h/d | 5.2 ± 2.6 | 4.7 ± 2.3 | 4.4 ± 2.2 | 4.1 ± 2.0 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 27.7 ± 4.6 | 26.9 ± 4.3 | 26.3 ± 4.2 | 25.3 ± 4.0 |
| Females | 16.8 | 22.5 | 27.4 | 33.2 |
| Region | ||||
| England | 24.9 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 25.1 |
| Other | 25.9 | 25.5 | 24.7 | 23.8 |
| White/British ethnic background | 24.8 | 25.1 | 25.1 | 25.0 |
| Familial history of cardiovascular disease | 23.7 | 24.7 | 25.3 | 26.3 |
| College/university degree or professional qualification | 21.0 | 24.5 | 26.4 | 28.0 |
| Employment situation | ||||
| Working | 26.9 | 25.4 | 24.5 | 23.2 |
| Retired | 19.8 | 24.5 | 26.4 | 29.3 |
| Other | 27.1 | 23.5 | 24.5 | 25.0 |
| Townsend deprivation index | ||||
| T1 (min to −3.3) | 23.4 | 25.3 | 25.7 | 25.5 |
| T2 (> −3.3 to −1.1) | 24.4 | 25.2 | 25.3 | 25.1 |
| T3 (> −1.1 to max) | 27.2 | 24.4 | 24.0 | 24.4 |
| Current alcohol consumer | 24.7 | 25.1 | 25.2 | 25.0 |
| Current smoker | 40.6 | 24.4 | 19.7 | 15.3 |
| BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 | 34.8 | 27.1 | 22.5 | 15.6 |
| Physical activity level | ||||
| Low | 33.3 | 26.7 | 22.8 | 17.2 |
| Moderate | 24.4 | 25.4 | 25.4 | 24.9 |
| High | 22.9 | 23.9 | 25.3 | 27.9 |
| Major dietary habits change in the past 5 y | 24.3 | 25.2 | 25.0 | 25.5 |
| Dietary supplement use | 20.4 | 24.0 | 26.3 | 29.2 |
| Menopausal status (female only) | 13.2 | 21.0 | 28.1 | 37.7 |
| Hormone replacement therapy (female only) | 14.2 | 21.5 | 28.0 | 36.3 |
| Self-reported high cholesterol and/or blood pressure | 27.2 | 25.1 | 24.8 | 22.9 |
| Plausibility of reported energy intakes | ||||
| Under-reporting | 35.3 | 25.2 | 23.0 | 16.5 |
| Plausible reporting | 24.7 | 25.4 | 25.1 | 24.8 |
| Over-reporting | 18.5 | 23.6 | 26.0 | 31.9 |
| Two or more 24-h dietary recalls completed | 22.0 | 25.6 | 26.4 | 26.0 |
n = 136,698. Values are mean ± SD or row percentages. Row percentages reflect the distribution of a given characteristic across quarters of total HEFI-2019 score. Quartiles of HEFI-2019 scores were estimated based on the average of raw intakes among all 24-h dietary recalls completed. Thus, the quartiles do not reflect usual intakes and misclassification of individuals is expected. Plausible reporting corresponded to a ratio of reported energy intake to predicted energy requirements within 0.74–1.26. See Supplemental Methods p. 9 for details. HEFI-2019, Healthy Eating Food Index 2019; max, maximum value; min, minimum value; Q, quarter.