Table 2.
Baseline characteristics by stool frequency among the population of NHANES 2005-2010.
| Characteristics | Stool Frequency | p-Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 Times/Week | 3–6 Times /Week | 7 Times/Week | 8–21 Times/Week | >21 Times/Week | ||
| Number of participants | 516 | 1664 | 7386 | 4807 | 201 | |
| Age, years | 43.0 ± 0.9 | 44.6 ± 0.5 | 47.6 ± 0.4 | 46.3 ± 0.4 | 49.7 ± 1.2 | <0.0001 |
| Female, n (%) | 401 (83.4) | 1081 (67.7) | 3826 (52.1) | 1997 (39.5) | 97 (44.7) | <0.0001 |
| Ethnicity, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||||
| non-Hispanic Black | 172 (21.5) | 383 (12.8) | 1224 (8.4) | 1076 (13.5) | 35 (10.9) | |
| non-Hispanic White | 235 (65.3) | 895 (73.8) | 4038 (75.1) | 1921 (63.7) | 95 (67.8) | |
| Mexican American | 57 (5.6) | 197 (5.0) | 1186 (6.7) | 1186 (12.3) | 51 (10.9) | |
| Others | 52 (7.6) | 189 (8.6) | 938 (9.8) | 624 (10.5) | 20 (10.4) | |
| Smoking status, n (%) | 0.0001 | |||||
| Never | 273 (52.5) | 935 (56.8) | 3830 (52.1) | 2508 (52.4) | 105 (52.6) | |
| Former smoker | 100 (19.0) | 367 (21.0) | 1972 (26.1) | 1211 (25.1) | 53 (25.7) | |
| Current smoker | 143 (28.5) | 362 (22.2) | 1582 (21.8) | 1085 (22.5) | 43 (21.7) | |
| Current drinker, n (%) | 319 (64.0) | 1159 (74.3) | 5260 (75.8) | 3536 (78.2) | 140 (70.5) | <0.0001 |
| Recreational physical activity, n (%) | 0.0034 | |||||
| Low or never | 226 (57.2) | 674 (48.7) | 2826 (47.0) | 1915 (47.8) | 79 (45.8) | |
| Moderate | 87 (29.1) | 287 (29.1) | 1391 (29.3) | 849 (26.3) | 43 (30.0) | |
| Vigorous | 47 (13.7) | 198 (22.2) | 960 (23.7) | 740 (25.9) | 20 (24.2) | |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 28.0 ± 0.3 | 27.7 ± 0.2 | 28.3 ± 0.1 | 29.8 ± 0.2 | 30.7 ± 0.5 | <0.0001 |
| Underweight, n (%) | 8 (1.7) | 35 (2.3) | 126 (1.8) | 47 (0.9) | 3 (1.4) | <0.0001 |
| Normal weight, n (%) | 170 (35.7) | 551 (36.4) | 2118 (31.3) | 1047 (24.3) | 33 (18.5) | |
| Overweight, n (%) | 162 (31.3) | 538 (31.9) | 2574 (34.2) | 1624 (33.7) | 67 (35.2) | |
| Obesity, n (%) | 170 (31.3) | 517 (29.4) | 2498 (32.7) | 2056 (41.1) | 95 (44.9) | |
| Dietary fiber, g * | 12.4 ± 0.4 | 14.7 ± 0.3 | 16.1 ± 0.2 | 17.6 ± 0.3 | 16.9 ± 0.8 | <0.0001 |
| Annual family income, n (%) | <0.0001 | |||||
| ≤$19,999 | 181 (29.8) | 389 (17.7) | 1690 (16.1) | 1166 (17.7) | 65 (24.2) | |
| $20,000–$34,999 | 117 (21.7) | 393 (19.0) | 1723 (20.1) | 1167 (21.1) | 42 (17.6) | |
| $35,000–$74,999 | 123 (27.6) | 486 (32.9) | 2089 (31.7) | 1320 (31.0) | 51 (29.2) | |
| ≥$75,000 | 73 (20.8) | 354 (30.3) | 1638 (32.1) | 949 (30.3) | 37 (28.9) | |
| History of chronic disease, n (%) | 223 (41.5) | 695 (37.0) | 3266 (39.8) | 2200 (42.6) | 125 (59.3) | <0.0001 |
* Means (SEs) were calculated for continuous variables.