Table 2

Descriptive characteristics of the individual participant dataset comprising data from n=22 cohort studies

Nn%MeanSD
Total22632 643
Occupational physical activity*Sedentary22217 50434
Low22227 45336
Medium22130 52421
High2255 2429
Leisure-time physical activity*Sedentary22123 31119
Low22304 90548
Medium22157 35725
High2247 0567
Education levelLow21129 73621
Medium21309 61350
High21†181 52829
GenderMen22320 52351
Women22311 71449
SmokingNo22404 43064
Yes22224 17936
Age (years)2243.17.9
BMI (kg/m2)2225.23.8
  • *Physical activity levels (during work and at leisure time) reflect the physical activity continuum, ie, sedentary, low, moderate and high. For leisure-time physical activity, these categories roughly indicate: spending most leisure time sitting (sedentary), occasionally engaging in light intensity physical activities during leisure time such as slow walking or household activities (low), engaging in physical activities of moderate intensity such as intense household activities or brisk walking (moderate), regular engagement in high intensity physical activities such as jogging or cycling, thereby meeting physical activity guidelines (high). For occupational physical activity, categories roughly indicate: mainly sitting work (sedentary), work that mainly involves standing or walking, but without lifting or carrying loads (low), work that involves carrying light objects or walking stairs (moderate), highly physically demanding works involving frequent carrying or lifting heavy loads (high).

  • †No data on this metric provided by Primary Prevention Study.29

  • BMI, body mass index; N, number of studies from which this variable is available; n, number of participants.