Baseline characteristics of the respondents and dropouts
| Characteristics at baseline | Respondents (N = 5341) | Dropouts (N = 893) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | |
| *As the only activity. | ||||
| †As the only activity or in combination with slow walks. | ||||
| Age | ||||
| <30 | 337 | 6.3 | 151 | 16.9 |
| 30–39 | 1029 | 19.3 | 208 | 23.3 |
| 40–49 | 2203 | 41.3 | 314 | 35.2 |
| 50–59 | 1538 | 28.8 | 177 | 19.8 |
| >59 | 233 | 4.4 | 42 | 4.7 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Married or cohabiting | 4358 | 81.7 | 684 | 76.9 |
| Single | 975 | 18.3 | 206 | 23.1 |
| Hours worked a week | ||||
| 1–18 | 708 | 13.4 | 107 | 12.1 |
| 19–36 | 3945 | 74.9 | 646 | 73.3 |
| >36 | 613 | 11.6 | 128 | 14.5 |
| Cigarettes smoked a day | ||||
| 0 | 3059 | 58.4 | 453 | 51.9 |
| 1–9 | 1198 | 22.9 | 223 | 25.5 |
| 10–19 | 894 | 17.1 | 182 | 20.8 |
| 20 or more | 88 | 1.7 | 15 | 1.7 |
| Physical leisure activity | ||||
| No regular exercise | 1359 | 25.4 | 230 | 25.8 |
| Slow walks* | 1009 | 18.9 | 177 | 19.8 |
| Brisk walks† | 1129 | 21.1 | 165 | 18.5 |
| Aerobics or gymnastics† | 312 | 5.8 | 58 | 6.5 |
| Other activities or combinations | 1532 | 28.7 | 263 | 29.5 |
| Fatigue | ||||
| Always fit | 169 | 3.2 | 22 | 2.5 |
| Usually fit | 1658 | 31.1 | 252 | 28.3 |
| Varied between fit and fatigued | 2698 | 50.7 | 472 | 52.9 |
| Usually fatigued | 710 | 13.3 | 133 | 14.9 |
| Always fatigued | 88 | 1.7 | 13 | 1.5 |
| Long term health problems | ||||
| No | 3432 | 65.0 | 593 | 67.0 |
| Yes, but not bothered | 393 | 7.4 | 74 | 8.4 |
| Yes, it bothers me some | 1048 | 19.8 | 167 | 18.9 |
| Yes, it bothers me a lot | 410 | 7.8 | 51 | 5.8 |
| Affective symptoms | ||||
| 1 and 2 | 2329 | 44.0 | 342 | 39.0 |
| 3 | 982 | 18.5 | 145 | 16.5 |
| 4 | 956 | 18.0 | 168 | 19.1 |
| 5 | 1031 | 19.5 | 223 | 25.4 |
| Sleep quality in past 3 months | ||||
| Good | 1797 | 34.0 | 293 | 33.1 |
| Rather good | 1911 | 36.1 | 322 | 36.3 |
| Neither good nor bad | 1101 | 20.8 | 178 | 20.1 |
| Rather bad | 407 | 7.7 | 80 | 9.0 |
| Bad | 73 | 1.4 | 13 | 1.5 |
| Neck pain in past 3 months | ||||
| No | 2408 | 45.1 | 393 | 44.1 |
| A little bothered | 1720 | 32.2 | 289 | 32.4 |
| Rather intensely bothered | 896 | 16.8 | 160 | 17.9 |
| Very intensely bothered | 315 | 5.9 | 50 | 5.6 |
| Low back pain in past 3 months | ||||
| No | 2154 | 40.3 | 343 | 38.5 |
| A little bothered | 1950 | 36.5 | 327 | 36.7 |
| Rather intensely bothered | 887 | 16.6 | 155 | 17.4 |
| Very intensely bothered | 348 | 6.5 | 67 | 7.5 |
| Musculoskeletal pain (any) | ||||
| No | 608 | 11.4 | 88 | 9.9 |
| A little bothered | 2036 | 38.1 | 302 | 33.9 |
| Rather intensely bothered | 1722 | 32.3 | 335 | 37.6 |
| Very intensely bothered | 973 | 18.2 | 167 | 18.7 |
| Widespread pain | ||||
| No | 3903 | 73.1 | 658 | 73.8 |
| Yes | 1436 | 26.9 | 234 | 26.2 |