Patterns of alcohol drinking and its association with obesity: data from the third national health and nutrition examination survey, 1988–1994

Table 1 Characteristics of the study sample by drinking status- the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988–1994

Variables	Non-Drinkers	Ex-Drinkers	Current Drinkers
	(n = 2539) %^a	(n = 2755) %^a	(n = 2942) %^a
All	24.1	30.0	45.9
Gender
Female	30.9	33.8	35.4
Male	13.6	23.9	62.5
Age
18–29	24.2	21.3	54.5
30–39	14.0	27.5	58.6
40–49	22.2	32.1	45.7
50–59	26.1	34.2	39.7
60–69	27.9	38.0	34.1
70+	41.3	42.2	16.5
Race/Ethnicity
Non-Hispanic White	19.9	29.7	50.4
Non-Hispanic Black	31.7	35.0	33.3
Hispanic	28.8	29.6	41.6
Other Race/Ethnicity	59.2	19.6	21.2
Poverty Income Ratio
Above Poverty	22.5	29.8	47.7
Below Poverty	37.5	30.7	31.8
Education
High School or more	19.5	29.2	51.3
Less than High School	41.0	32.6	26.5
Marital Status
Married/Living as Married	22.5	32.0	45.5
Widowed/Divorced/Separated	28.0	38.2	33.8
Never Married	25.4	19.4	55.2
Location
Rural	29.1	32.3	38.6
Urban	19.6	27.7	52.7
Health
Excellent/Very Good/ Good	22.1	28.3	49.6
Fair/Poor	37.3	39.7	23.0
Leisure Time Physical Activity ^b
First Quartile (none)	40.2	34.2	25.6
Second Quartile (1–9)	24.7	32.5	42.8
Third Quartile (10–30)	19.4	30.2	50.4
Fourth Quartile (>30)	19.2	24.2	56.5
Body Mass Index ^c
Normal Weight	23.5	25.8	50.7
Overweight	22.1	31.3	46.6
Obese	28.4	36.6	35.0

^a Weighted percent
^b Nine leisure time physical activities (walking, jogging/running, bicycle, swimming, aerobics, other dancing, calisthenics/exercises, garden/yard work, weight lift) were summed and categorized into four quartiles.
^c Normal Weight (BMI <25 kg-m²), Overweight (25 kg-m²<BMI< 30 kg-m²), Obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg-m²)

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