Table 1 Participant characteristics and their comparison with the Australian public
Characteristics | Participants | Australian public | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Â | N | % | N | % |
Total | 943 | 100 | 16,517,613 | 100 |
Age (Mean ± S.D., range) | 47.6 ± 16.6, 18–84 |  |  | |
Age range (years)a | ||||
 18–29 | 181 | 19.2 | 3,533,626 | 21.4 |
 30–49 | 347 | 36.8 | 6,020,939 | 36.4 |
 50 + | 415 | 44.0 | 6,963,048 | 42.2 |
Gendera | ||||
 Female | 483 | 51.2 | 8,446,803 | 51.1 |
 Male | 460 | 48.8 | 8,070,810 | 48.8 |
Country of birth | ||||
 Australia | 727 | 77.1 | 10,674,865 | 64.6 |
 Not Australia | 216 | 22.9 | 5,842,748 | 35.4 |
Education` | ||||
 Higher degree or postgraduate diploma/Bachelor degree | 299 | 31.7 | 3,268,574 | 19.8 |
 Diploma/Vocational | 345 | 36.6 | 1,392,191 | 8.4 |
 Completed highest level of school | 178 | 18.9 | 2,639,997 | 16.0 |
 Did not complete highest level of school | 121 | 12.8 | 472,469 | 2.9 |
Occupation | ||||
 Professional/Managerial | 189 | 20.0 |  |  |
 Sales/Clerical | 147 | 15.6 |  |  |
 Technical/Skilled | 81 | 8.6 |  |  |
 Unskilled/Labourer | 53 | 5.6 |  |  |
 Other occupations | 53 | 5.6 |  |  |
 Do not work | 420 | 44.5 |  |  |
Work outside home | ||||
 Yes, full-time | 331 | 35.1 |  |  |
 Yes, part-time | 192 | 20.4 |  |  |
 No (Not employed, student, work at home, homemaker, retired, etc.) | 420 | 44.5 |  |  |
Gross annual income | ||||
 Under $50,000 | 348 | 36.9 |  |  |
 $50,000 to just under $100,000 | 281 | 29.8 |  |  |
 $100,000 and over | 208 | 22.1 |  |  |
 Refused | 103 | 11.2 |  |  |
Marital status | ||||
 Married/Common law, De-facto or Living with a partner | 568 | 60.2 |  |  |
 Single/Never married | 227 | 24.1 |  |  |
 Divorced/Separated/Widowed | 148 | 15.7 |  |  |
Number of people in the household | ||||
 One | 186 | 19.7 |  |  |
 Two | 349 | 37.0 |  |  |
 Three | 163 | 17.3 |  |  |
 Four | 172 | 18.2 |  |  |
 Five or more | 73 | 7.7 |  |  |
Children under 18Â years of age | ||||
 Yes | 285 | 30.2 |  |  |
 No | 658 | 69.8 |  |  |
Area description | ||||
 Within a capital city | 535 | 56.7 |  |  |
 Within a major regional city | 234 | 24.8 |  |  |
 Within a rural town or its surrounds | 144 | 15.3 |  |  |
 More than 5 km from the nearest town | 30 | 3.2 |  |  |
Statea | ||||
 New South Wales | 296 | 31.4 | 5,316,815 | 32.2 |
 Victoria | 257 | 27.3 | 4,149,390 | 25.1 |
 Queensland | 181 | 19.2 | 3,278,855 | 19.8 |
 Western Australia | 85 | 9.0 | 1,709,692 | 10.4 |
 South Australia | 84 | 8.9 | 1,247,852 | 7.6 |
 Tasmania | 24 | 2.5 | 381,299 | 2.3 |
 Australian Capital Territory | 13 | 1.4 | 277,559 | 1.7 |
 Northern Territory | 3 | 0.3 | 153,716 | 0.9 |
 Other territories | 0 | 0 | 2433 | 0.0 |
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent | ||||
 Yes | 15 | 1.6 | 10,329 | 0.1 |
 No | 928 | 98.4 | 16,507,284 | 99.9 |
Family member working as a registered healthcare professional e.g. doctor, nurse, dietician or pharmacist | ||||
 Yes | 55 | 5.8 |  |  |
 No | 888 | 94.2 |  |  |
Family history of kidney failure | ||||
 Yes | 47 | 5.0 |  |  |
 No | 896 | 95.0 |  |  |
Medical condition(s)/illness(es) that require regular medications | ||||
High blood pressure known as hypertension | ||||
 Yes | 220 | 23.3 |  |  |
 No | 704 | 74.7 |  |  |
 I don’t know | 19 | 2.0 |  |  |
Raised blood sugar known as diabetes | ||||
 Yes | 81 | 8.6 |  |  |
 No | 840 | 89.1 |  |  |
 I don’t know | 22 | 2.3 |  |  |
Heart problems such as heart failure or heart attack | ||||
 Yes | 42 | 4.5 |  |  |
 No | 877 | 93.0 |  |  |
 I don’t know | 24 | 2.5 |  |  |
Personal history of stroke | ||||
 Yes | 18 | 1.9 |  |  |
 No | 900 | 95.4 |  |  |
 I don’t know | 25 | 2.7 |  |  |