Characteristics of the study participants, stratified by sex and study
| CARLA | SHIP | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men (n=703) | Women (n=565) | Men (n=1298) | Women (n=1335) | Men (n=2001) | Women (n=1900) | |
| Age (years) | ||||||
| Mean (SD) | 61.3 (8.5) | 59.0 (7.0) | 46.9 (12.3) | 43.6 (11.1) | 51.9 (13.0) | 48.8 (12.1) |
| Age group (years) | ||||||
| 24 to <45 (n) | – | – | 591 | 667 | 591 | 667 |
| 45 to <55 (n) | 205 | 197 | 301 | 366 | 506 | 563 |
| 55 to <65 (n) | 248 | 237 | 301 | 262 | 549 | 499 |
| 65 to <75 (n) | 204 | 130 | 94 | 35 | 298 | 165 |
| ≥75 (n) | 46 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 57 | 6 |
| CVD | ||||||
| MI; n (%) | 42 (6.0) | 7 (1.2) | 30 (2.3) | 5 (0.4) | 72 (3.6) | 12 (0.6) |
| Stroke; n (%) | 20 (2.8) | 9 (1.6) | 10 (0.7) | 8 (0.6) | 30 (1.5) | 17 (0.9) |
| CHD; n (%) | 54 (7.7) | 13 (2.3) | 33 (2.5) | 5 (0.4) | 87 (4.3) | 18 (1.0) |
| CVD*; n (%) | 69 (9.8) | 22 (3.9) | 41 (3.1) | 13 (1.0) | 110 (5.4) | 35 (1.8) |
| Cardiovascular risk factors | ||||||
| Hypertension; n (%) | 534 (76.9) | 377 (66.7) | 784 (60.7) | 455 (34.2) | 1318 (66.1) | 832 (43.8) |
| Smoker; n (%) | 512 (72.8) | 205 (36.3) | 1011 (77.8) | 739 (55.4) | 1523 (76.1) | 944 (49.7) |
| Diabetes; n (%) | 83 (11.8) | 62 (11.0) | 80 (6.2) | 57 (4.3) | 163 (8.1) | 119 (6.3) |
| High-risk drinking†; n (%) | 157 (22.3) | 27(4.8) | 355 (27.3) | 98 (7.3) | 512 (25.6) | 125 (6.6) |
| Depressive disorders; n (%) | 33 (4.9) | 57 (10.3) | 101 (7.8) | 227 (17.1) | 134 (6.8) | 284 (15.1) |
| BMI; mean (SD) | 28.2 (4.1) | 28.5 (5.6) | 27.8 (3.9) | 26.7 (5.3) | 27.9 (4.0) | 27.2 (5.5) |
| Cholesterol; mean (SD) | 208.7 (40.6) | 220.6 (42.9) | 227.9 (46.9) | 220.2 (46.7) | 220.3 (45.6) | 221.2 (45.7) |
| Education | ||||||
| Low; n (%) | 22 (3.1) | 49 (8.7) | 77 (5.9) | 100 (7.5) | 99 (5.0) | 149 (7.9) |
| Middle; n (%) | 427 (60.7) | 387 (68.5) | 908 (70.0) | 1012 (74.9) | 1335 (66.8) | 1382 (72.4) |
| High; n (%) | 254 (36.1) | 129 (22.8) | 313 (24.1) | 254 (17.9) | 567 (28.3) | 369 (19.4) |
| Exposure | ||||||
| RSI; mean (SD) | 4.8 (1.6) | 5.0 (1.5) | 4.8 (2.7) | 4.9 (2.7) | 4.8 (2.4) | 4.9 (2.4) |
| <5; n (%) | 331 (47.1) | 235 (41.6) | 593 (45.7) | 580 (43.5) | 924 (46.2) | 815 (42.9) |
| 5; n (%) | 139 (19.8) | 128 (22.7) | 246 (19.0) | 271 (20.3) | 385 (19.2) | 399 (21.0) |
| >5; n (%) | 233 (33.1) | 202 (35.8) | 459 (35.4) | 484 (36.3) | 692 (34.6) | 686 (36.1) |
| RSI by age group (years) | ||||||
| 24 to <45; mean (SD) | – | – | 4.5 (2.7) | 4.6 (2.7) | 4.5 (2.7) | 4.6 (2.7) |
| 45 to <55; mean (SD) | 5.3 (1.8) | 5.4 (1.6) | 5.3 (2.7) | 5.4 (2.6) | 5.3 (2.4) | 5.4 (2.3) |
| 55 to <65; mean (SD) | 4.9 (1.6) | 4.8 (1.5) | 5.2 (2.6) | 5.1 (2.8) | 5.1 (2.2) | 5.0 (2.2) |
| 65 to <75; mean (SD) | 4.4 (1.4) | 4.9 (1.2) | 3.8 (2.5) | 3.7 (2.4) | 4.2 (1.8) | 4.6 (1.6) |
| >75; mean (SD) | 4.8 (1.2) | 3.3 (–) | 2.4 (2.0) | 2.6 (2.3) | 4.3 (1.6) | 2.8 (2.0) |
| Occupational situation | ||||||
| Improvement; n (%) | 211 (30.0) | 143 (25.3) | 411 (31.7) | 398 (29.8) | 622 (31.1) | 541 (28.5) |
| No change; n (%) | 264 (37.5) | 230 (40.7) | 375 (28.9) | 402 (30.1) | 639 (31.9) | 632 (33.3) |
| Deterioration; n (%) | 228 (32.4) | 192 (33.9) | 512 (39.5) | 535 (40.1) | 740 (37.0) | 727 (38.3) |
| Financial situation | ||||||
| Improvement; n (%) | 394 (56.1) | 273 (48.3) | 720 (55.5) | 666 (49.9) | 1114 (55.7) | 939 (49.4) |
| No change; n (%) | 183 (26.0) | 163 (28.9) | 336 (25.9) | 341 (25.5) | 519 (25.9) | 504 (26.5) |
| Deterioration; n (%) | 126 (17.9) | 129 (22.8) | 242 (18.6) | 328 (24.6) | 368 (18.4) | 457 (24.1) |
| Personal situation | ||||||
| Improvement; n (%) | 46 (6.5) | 23 (4.1) | 131 (10.1) | 139 (10.4) | 177 (8.9) | 162 (8.5) |
| No change; n (%) | 488 (69.4) | 422 (74.7) | 825 (63.6) | 938 (70.3) | 1313 (65.6) | 1360 (71.6) |
| Deterioration; n (%) | 169 (24.0) | 120 (21.2) | 342 (26.4) | 258 (19.3) | 511 (25.5) | 378 (19.9) |
*Multiple responses possible.
†High-risk drinking: >30 g alcohol per day for men, >20 g alcohol per day for women.
BMI, body mass index; CARLA, Cardiovascular Disease, Living and Ageing in Halle Study; CHD, coronary heart disease; CVD, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol in mg/dL, alcohol in g/day; MI, myocardial infarction; RSI, Reunification Stress Index; SHIP, Study of Health in Pomerania.