Baseline characteristics of the sample by sex
| Women (n=43 705) | Men (n=36 601) | All (n=80 306) | p value for sex Δ * | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean±SD (years) | 52.0±14.7 | 51.9±14.3 | 51.9±14.5 | 0.285 |
| Body mass index, mean±SD (kg/m2) | 27.1±5.3 | 27.3±4.0 | 27.2±4.8 | <0.001 |
| Long-standing illness† (%) | 47.7 | 47.7 | 47.7 | 0.909 |
| Smoking (% current)‡ | 24.3 | 25.5 | 24.9 | <0.001 |
| Alcohol frequency (%≥5 times/week)§ | 14.7 | 25.3 | 19.5 | <0.001 |
| Psychological distress (% with GHQ score ≥4)¶ | 16.8 | 12.5 | 14.9 | <0.001 |
| Age finished education (age 19+) | 16.3 | 20.2 | 18.1 | <0.001 |
| Total physical activity volume, median (MET**-hours/week) | 12.1 | 14.5 | 13.1 | <0.001 |
| Meeting physical activity recommendations (%) | 43.1 | 45.6 | 44.3 | <0.001 |
| Cycling—any intensity (% participated) | 7.3 | 13.0 | 9.9 | <0.001 |
| Swimming—any intensity (% participated) | 14.7 | 11.9 | 13.4 | <0.001 |
| Running—any intensity (% participated) | 3.1 | 7.3 | 5.0 | <0.001 |
| Football—any intensity (% participated) | 0.3 | 6.4 | 3.1 | <0.001 |
| Racquet—any intensity (% participated) | 2.7 | 4.8 | 3.6 | <0.001 |
| Aerobics—any intensity (% participated) | 9.8 | 2.3 | 6.4 | <0.001 |
| CVD prevalence at baseline (%) | 5.3 | 8.2 | 6.6 | <0.001 |
The Health Survey for England and Scottish Health Survey.
*p value calculated using t-test for continuous or—due to the skewed distribution—the non-parametric Mann–Whitney U-test and likelihood ratio χ2 test for categorical variables.
†Dichotomous variable derived from responses to a series of questions (yes/no) on illness within eight listed body systems (eg, nervous system, digestive system, heart and circulatory system, etc), at least one illness required to have long-standing illness.
‡Based on one question about smoking status with the options being: never, ex-regular smoker; ex-occasional smoker and current smoker.
§Derived from the question ‘on how many days in the last 7 days did you have an alcoholic drink’.
¶General Health Questionnaire comprises 12 questions related to psychological health (eg, concentration, feeling depressed, etc) with the categories: 0, 1–3 and ≥4.
**MET, metabolic equivalent.
CVD, cardiovascular disease; GHQ, General Health Questionnaire.