Table 1. Descriptive Characteristics in the REGARDS Study Stratified by Baseline PSS Score.
| Characteristic | Participants, No. (%) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (N = 24 448) | Low stress (PSS score <5) (n = 18 859) | Elevated stress (PSS score ≥5) (n = 5589) | ||
| Age, median (range), y | 64 (45-98) | 64 (45-83) | 62 (45-93) | <.001 |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 9797 (40.1) | 8101 (43.0) | 1696 (30.3) | <.001 |
| Female | 14 646 (59.9) | 10 753 (57.0) | 3893 (69.7) | |
| Race | ||||
| Black | 10 177 (41.6) | 7309 (38.8) | 2868 (51.3) | <.001 |
| White | 14 271 (58.4) | 11 550 (61.2) | 2721 (48.7) | |
| Educational level | ||||
| College graduate | 8502 (34.8) | 7145 (37.9) | 1357 (24.3) | <.001 |
| Some college | 6634 (27.1) | 5170 (27.4) | 1464 (26.2) | |
| High school graduate | 6393 (26.1) | 4706 (25.0) | 1687 (30.2) | |
| <High school | 2897 (11.8) | 1820 (9.7) | 1077 (19.3) | |
| Annual income, $ | ||||
| <20 000 | 4323 (17.7) | 2724 (14.4) | 1599 (28.6) | <.001 |
| 20 000-34 000 | 5765 (23.6) | 4350 (23.1) | 1415 (25.3) | |
| 35 000-74 000 | 7203 (29.5) | 5895 (31.3) | 1308 (23.4) | |
| >75 000 | 3952 (16.2) | 3469 (18.4) | 483 (8.6) | |
| Refused | 3205 (13.1) | 2421 (12.8) | 784 (14.0) | |
| Regiona | ||||
| “Stroke belt” | 8572 (35.1) | 6501 (34.5) | 2071 (37.1) | <.001 |
| “Stroke buckle” | 5284 (21.6) | 3993 (21.2) | 1291 (23.1) | |
| Nonbelt | 10 592 (43.3) | 8365 (44.4) | 2227 (39.8) | |
| CVD risk factors | ||||
| Hypertension | 14 364 (58.8) | 10 793 (57.2) | 3571 (63.9) | <.001 |
| Diabetes | 5464 (22.3) | 3918 (20.8) | 1546 (27.7) | <.001 |
| Dyslipidemia | 13 745 (56.2) | 10 581 (56.1) | 3164 (56.6) | <.001 |
| Health behaviors, No./total No. (%) | ||||
| Physical activity | ||||
| None | 8526/24 091 (35.4) | 6143/18 603 (33.0) | 2383/5488 (43.4) | <.001 |
| 1-3 times per week | 8710/24 091 (36.2) | 6873/18 603 (36.9) | 1837/5488 (33.5) | |
| ≥4 times per week | 6855/24 091 (28.5) | 5587/18 603 (30.0) | 1268/5488 (23.1) | |
| BMI | ||||
| Underweight | 262/24 264 (1.1) | 193/18 735 (1.0) | 69/5529 (1.2) | <.001 |
| Normal | 5789/24 264 (23.9) | 4525/18 735 (24.2) | 1264/5529 (22.9) | |
| Overweight | 8774/24 264 (36.2) | 7040/18 735 (37.6) | 1734/5529 (31.4) | |
| Obese | 9439/24 264 (38.9) | 6977/18 735 (37.2) | 2462/5529 (44.5) | |
| Smoking | ||||
| Current | 3549/24 354 (14.6) | 2410/18 792 (12.8) | 1139/5562 (20.5) | <.001 |
| Past | 9404/24 354 (38.6) | 7487/18 792 (39.8) | 1917/5562 (34.5) | |
| Never | 11 401/24 354 (46.8) | 8895/18 792 (47.3) | 2506/5562 (45.1) | |
| Alcohol use | ||||
| Heavy | 948/23 993 (4.0) | 723/16 802 (4.3) | 173/5484 (3.2) | <.001 |
| Moderate | 7954/23 993 (33.2) | 5848/16 802 (34.8) | 1538/5484 (28.0) | |
| None | 15 091/23 993 (62.9) | 10 231/16 802 (60.9) | 3773/5484 (68.8) | |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CVD, cardiovascular disease; PSS, Perceived Stress Scale; REGARDS, Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke.
a
The stroke belt and stroke buckle are the southeastern US states where rates of stroke are highest in the US. The stroke belt comprises North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas. The stroke buckle comprises the coastal plains of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia that have a higher stroke mortality rate than the remainder of the stroke belt.