Table 2.
Baseline characteristics in participants according to quintiles of unhealthful Plant-based Diet Index (uPDI).
| Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (n = 46,948) |
Nurses’ Health Study (n = 73,592) |
Nurses’ Health Study II (n = 85,515) |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quintile 1 | Quintile 3 | Quintile 5 | Quintile 1 | Quintile 3 | Quintile 5 | Quintile 1 | Quintile 3 | Quintile 5 | |
| Age, mean (SD), years * | 53.4 (8.9) | 52.7 (9.3) | 51.4 (9.5) | 50.1 (6.8) | 49.9 (7.1) | 49.4 (7.3) | 36.8 (4.5) | 36.0 (4.6) | 35.3 (4.8) |
| Smoking, % | |||||||||
| Never smokers | 45 | 48 | 55 | 42 | 46 | 51 | 59 | 66 | 73 |
| Former smokers | 47 | 43 | 36 | 39 | 32 | 25 | 29 | 22 | 15 |
| Current smokers | 8 | 9 | 9 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
| Pack-years in ever smokers, mean (SD) † | 18.9 (17.7) | 19.1 (17.5) | 18.1 (17.5) | 18.6 (15.7) | 20.1 (16.1) | 21.2 (16.3) | 10.7 (7.9) | 11.0 (7.9) | 11.5 (8.0) |
| Body mass index, mean (SD), kg/m2 | 25.2 (5.1) | 24.9 (4.9) | 24.7 (4.6) | 25.1 (4.6) | 24.8 (4.5) | 24.7 (4.6) | 24.4 (5.0) | 24.4 (5.0) | 24.5 (5.3) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2, % | |||||||||
| <20.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 17 |
| 20–24.9 | 42 | 45 | 48 | 52 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 54 | 51 |
| 25–29.9 | 45 | 45 | 43 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
| ≥30.0 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| Physical activity, mean (SD), METs/week ‡ | 24.2 (26.1) | 21.1 (24.8) | 17.7 (23.0) | 18.9 (25.7) | 14.2 (21.6) | 10.2 (16.3) | 26.4 (29.9) | 20.8 (26.9) | 16.0 (23.6) |
| Total energy intake, mean (SD), kcal/day * | 2281 (621) | 1966 (597) | 1753 (555) | 1959 (518) | 1727 (513) | 1552 (497) | 2051 (526) | 1772 (525) | 1557 (504) |
| US region, % | |||||||||
| West | 26 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 12 | 7 | 22 | 15 | 10 |
| Midwest | 26 | 27 | 29 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 32 | 39 |
| South | 26 | 27 | 27 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 18 | 21 | 22 |
| Northeast | 22 | 23 | 25 | 56 | 58 | 60 | 34 | 32 | 29 |
| White race, % | 93 | 91 | 89 | 98 | 98 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 95 |
| Healthful Plant-based Diet Index | 59.0 (6.4) | 54.7 (6.3) | 50.1 (5.8) | 59.1 (6.0) | 54.3 (5.9) | 50.1 (5.4) | 59.8 (6.2) | 54.8 (6.1) | 50.1 (5.4) |
| Unhealthful Plant-based Diet Index | 46.6 (4.5) | 54.7 (3.7) | 63.0 (4.4) | 46.3 (5.0) | 55.1 (4.4) | 64.0 (4.8) | 46.0 (4.8) | 54.6 (4.1) | 63.8 (4.7) |
| Census tract median family income, mean (SD) § | 42,663 (18,964) | 42,261 (19,128) | 42,101 (18,993) | 49,928 (18,747) | 46,872 (17,411) | 43,381 (15,698) | 46,374 (16,346) | 43,994 (15,235) | 41,106 (13,822) |
| Census tract median family home value, mean (SD) § | 128,301 (102,569) | 122,591 (100,504) | 117,228 (96,963) | 159,079 (106,002) | 137,426 (95,607) | 115,870 (81,365) | 142,831 (101,658) | 118,538 (89,245) | 96,708 (73,164) |
| Food intake (servings/week), mean (SD) | |||||||||
| Whole grains | 14.1 (10.7) | 10.8 (9.4) | 7.6 (7.3) | 11.3 (8.7) | 7.9 (7.0) | 5.2 (5.4) | 13.5 (8.8) | 10.1 (7.4) | 7.1 (5.8) |
| Fruits | 14.6 (10.0) | 11.0 (8.6) | 7.9 (6.4) | 13.5 (7.9) | 9.6 (6.5) | 6.7 (5.0) | 11.7 (7.3) | 8.3 (5.9) | 5.6 (4.2) |
| Vegetables | 27.9 (13.9) | 20.5 (11.0) | 14.3 (8.1) | 28.5 (13.0) | 20.2 (9.5) | 13.8 (7.0) | 29.6 (14.8) | 20.2 (10.4) | 13.2 (7.0) |
| Nuts | 3.2 (4.3) | 2.5 (3.4) | 2.0 (2.8) | 1.9 (2.7) | 1.5 (2.1) | 1.1 (1.6) | 1.4 (1.8) | 1.1 (1.4) | 0.9 (1.1) |
| Legumes | 3.7 (2.8) | 3.0 (2.3) | 2.4 (1.8) | 3.5 (2.4) | 2.7 (1.8) | 2.2 (1.4) | 3.4 (2.6) | 2.6 (2.1) | 1.9 (1.5) |
| Vegetable oils | 2.5 (3.1) | 1.6 (2.4) | 1.0 (1.8) | 3.0 (3.3) | 1.9 (2.5) | 1.1 (1.7) | 3.3 (3.8) | 1.9 (2.7) | 1.0 (1.6) |
| Tea & Coffee | 20.2 (13.9) | 16.6 (13.3) | 12.4 (12.1) | 25.0 (13.8) | 21.7 (13.5) | 17.8 (12.7) | 20.1 (13.2) | 15.7 (12.8) | 10.5 (11.5) |
| Fruit juices | 4.6 (6.0) | 5.5 (5.5) | 6.4 (5.8) | 4.4 (5.0) | 5.2 (5.0) | 5.5 (4.9) | 3.9 (5.3) | 4.8 (5.2) | 5.0 (5.1) |
| Refined grains | 7.8 (7.2) | 10.5 (7.4) | 13.1 (8.3) | 8.8 (8.2) | 11.8 (8.4) | 14.3 (8.7) | 9.1 (6.0) | 11.0 (6.4) | 12.6 (6.8) |
| Potatoes | 3.1 (2.5) | 3.9 (2.6) | 4.7 (2.9) | 2.6 (2.2) | 3.6 (2.3) | 4.4 (2.5) | 2.7 (2.2) | 3.7 (2.3) | 4.6 (2.6) |
| Sugar sweetened beverages | 0.6 (2.8) | 2.4 (3.5) | 4.6 (5.0) | 0.4 (2.4) | 2.0 (3.3) | 4.1 (5.1) | 0.4 (3.5) | 3.1 (4.9) | 6.6 (7.0) |
| Sweets and Desserts | 5.7 (7.7) | 9.8 (7.9) | 13.2 (8.9) | 5.7 (6.6) | 9.0 (7.1) | 11.9 (8.0) | 5.7 (6.0) | 8.6 (6.7) | 11.0 (7.2) |
| Animal fat ¶ | 2.6 (5.4) | 1.8 (4.1) | 1.5 (3.5) | 2.9 (5.7) | 2.6 (5.2) | 2.4 (4.8) | 1.5 (3.6) | 1.1 (2.9) | 0.9 (2.4) |
| Dairy | 14.8 (9.7) | 13.5 (8.9) | 12.2 (8.2) | 15.9 (8.7) | 13.8 (8.2) | 11.7 (7.4) | 18.2 (9.6) | 16.0 (8.8) | 13.6 (7.9) |
| Egg | 2.8 (3.3) | 2.2 (2.7) | 1.9 (2.3) | 3.0 (2.3) | 2.4 (2.1) | 1.9 (1.9) | 1.5 (1.6) | 1.3 (1.4) | 1.0 (1.1) |
| Fish or Seafood | 3.7 (2.6) | 2.7 (2.2) | 1.9 (1.7) | 3.2 (2.3) | 2.1 (1.6) | 1.4 (1.1) | 2.7 (2.0) | 1.8 (1.5) | 1.2 (1.1) |
| Meat | 12.4 (5.9) | 12.4 (5.4) | 12.3 (5.1) | 11.9 (5.0) | 11.8 (4.5) | 11.3 (4.2) | 11.2 (5.1) | 11.7 (4.7) | 11.6 (4.2) |
| Misc. animal-based foods | 3.1 (2.8) | 2.8 (2.5) | 2.4 (2.0) | 3.4 (3.0) | 3.0 (2.5) | 2.6 (2.0) | 3.0 (2.5) | 2.8 (2.1) | 2.6 (1.8) |
| Processed meat intake, | |||||||||
| Never/almost never | 14 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 58 | 56 | 57 |
| < 1 serving/week | 24 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 32 |
| ≥1 servings/week | 62 | 59 | 58 | 56 | 60 | 61 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| Total fiber intake (g/week) | 167.9 (55.0) | 145.0 (48.1) | 123.7 (37.7) | 144.3 (40.6) | 121.5 (32.8) | 103.9 (26.5) | 151.0 (44.1) | 126.0 (35.1) | 104.8 (26.4) |
Values are means (SD) adjusted for age and total energy intake for continuous variables; percentages standardized to the age distribution of the study population for categorical variables. Values of polytomous variables may not sum to 100% due to rounding. The percentages of missing values at baseline were 0% for all variables, excepted for smoking (3.9% in Health Professionals Follow-up Study), pack-years of smoking (8.7% in Health Professionals Follow-up Study and 2.8% in Nurses’ Health Study), body mass index (4.8% in Nurses’ Health Study and 2.8% in Nurses’ Health Study II), physical activity (0.2% in Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 12.9% in Nurses’ Health Study and 0.3% in Nurses’ Health Study II), US region (0.1% in Health Professionals Follow-up Study), and census tract data (0.3% in Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 4.1% in Nurses’ Health Study and 0.3% in Nurses’ Health Study II). * Values are not age nor energy adjusted. † Number of packs smoked per day multiplied by number of years smoked, among ever smokers. ‡ Sum of average time per week spent in each activity multiplied by metabolic equivalent (MET) value of each activity. § Values are based on the 1990 US Census at the participant’s baseline address. ¶ Food items constituting the “animal fat” food group were: “Butter added to food”, and “Butter or lard used for cooking”.