Table 1.
Mean levels of baseline optimism by participant characteristics at baseline (N=3,188).
| Baseline Optimism | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Participant Characteristics | n (percent) | Mean (SD) | p a |
| Age | 0.09 | ||
| 32-40 years | 1,591 (49.9) | 23.04 (3.67) | |
| 41-51 years | 1,597 (59.1) | 22.83 (3.52) | |
| Sex | 0.1 | ||
| Men | 1,432 (44.9) | 22.82 (3.53) | |
| Women | 1,756 (55.1) | 23.03 (3.70) | |
| Race | 0.17 | ||
| White | 1,689 (53.0) | 23.02 (3.61) | |
| Black | 1,499 (47.0) | 22.84 (3.57) | |
| Marital Status | <0.001 | ||
| Married | 1,943 (61.0) | 23.32 (3.41) | |
| Unmarried | 1,245 (39.1) | 22.33 (3.79) | |
| Education Level | <0.001 | ||
| Less than high school | 148 (4.6) | 21.49 (3.24) | |
| High school | 581 (18.2) | 21.93 (3.65) | |
| Some college | 1,007 (31.6) | 22.93 (3.46) | |
| College or more | 1,452 (45.6) | 23.48 (3.57) | |
| Family Income | <0.001 | ||
| $0-$24,999 | 512 (16.1) | 21.43 (3.78) | |
| $25,000-$49,999 | 823 (25.8) | 22.57 (3.57) | |
| $50,000-$74,999 | 702 (22.0) | 23.02 (3.48) | |
| ≥$75,000 | 1,151 (36.1) | 23.81 (3.33) | |
| Physical Activity Level | <0.001 | ||
| Low | 1,177 (36.9) | 22.57 (3.70) | |
| Moderate | 810 (25.4) | 22.86 (3.56) | |
| Moderate-high | 632 (19.8) | 23.13 (3.52) | |
| High | 569 (17.9) | 23.60 (3.39) | |
| Weekly Fast Food Consumption | 0.1 | ||
| 0-1 times | 1,198 (37.6) | 23.07 (3.61) | |
| 2 or more times | 1,990 (62.4) | 22.86 (3.58) | |
| Diagnosis of Heart Problems | 0.8 | ||
| Yes | 357 (11.2) | 22.90 (3.79) | |
| No | 2,831 (88.8) | 22.94 (3.57) | |
| Diagnosis of Cancer | 0.9 | ||
| Yes | 100 (3.1) | 22.97 (3.71) | |
| No | 3,088 (96.9) | 22.94 (3.56) | |
| Diagnosis of Depression b | <0.001 | ||
| Yes | 492 (15.5) | 21.18 (4.06) | |
| No | 2,675 (84.5) | 23.27 (3.40) | |
a
Differences in mean optimism scores were calculated using ANOVA.
b
Sample size may vary due to missing data on baseline depression diagnosis.