Skip to main content

Table 2 Baseline characteristics of the MCCS ^ study population by education and sex

From: The mediating role of dietary factors and leisure time physical activity on socioeconomic inequalities in body mass index among Australian adults

 

LOW EDUCATION

HIGH EDUCATION

 

Mean (sd)/median (Q1,Q3)/%

Mean (sd)/median (Q1,Q3)/%

 

Men

Women

Men

Women

n (% of total)

4,671 (15%)

10,109 (33%)

7,470 (24%)

8,380 (27%)

Body mass index (BMI)

27.3 (3.8)

26.5 (4.8)

26.3 (3.4)

25.3 (4.4)

Obese (%)

20.4%

19.6%

12.2%

13.1%

Age

57.4 (8.7)

56.8 (8.5)

54.1 (9.1)

52.9 (8.7)

Heart attack, stroke and/or angina (%)

11.8%

5.3%

7.6%

2.7%

Cancer (%)

10.5%

9.4%

7.9%

9.7%

Diabetes (%)

3.7%

2.4%

2.3%

1.4%

Current smokers (%)

14.9%

10.9%

9.2%

7.9%

Fruit and vegetables (%)#

16.2%

33.3%

23.9%

42.2%

Healthy snacks (%)§

56.2%

73.5%

73.%

86.2%

LTPA*

4 (1.5, 5.5)

4 (1.5, 5.5)

4 (1.5, 8)

4 (1.5, 7)

Alcohol (g/day)

10.4 (0.8, 27.8)

0.9 (0, 8.6)

12.9 (2.3, 28.5)

4.5 (0, 15.1)

Healthy savoury items*

6 (1, 14)

7.5 (3, 17.5)

8 (3.5, 17.5)

9.5 (5, 18.5)

Sweet snacks*

6.5 (2, 13)

6 (2, 12)

6 (2.5, 12)

5.5 (2, 10.5)

Unhealthy savoury*

10.5 (6, 20)

7 (3.5, 12.5)

9 (5, 14)

5.5 (3, 10)

  1. # (proportion meeting guidelines, consuming ≥ 2 fruits and ≥5 vegetables per day).
  2. § (proportion consuming nuts or yoghurt ≥ 0.5 times/week).
  3. * Leisure time physical activity (times/week); sd standard deviation; Q1,Q3 (first quartile, third quartile).
  4. ^ This study utilises a sample of 30,630 participants from the baseline sample of the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS) which was conducted in Melbourne between 1990 and 1994.