Early life and adult characteristics of men and women in the 1958 birth cohort
| Men (n=4629)* | Women (n=4670)* | |
|---|---|---|
| Per cent (n)/Mean (SD) | Per cent (n)/Mean (SD) | |
| 45 years obesity | ||
| Waist circumference (cm) | 98.5 (11.2) | 85.6 (12.9) |
| Waist obesity† | 32.5 (1503) | 36.7 (1715) |
| Waist–hip ratio (WHR) | 0.9 (0.1) | 0.8 (0.1) |
| WHR obesity‡ | 34.0 (1572) | 25.1 (1174) |
| Body mass index (BMI; kg/m²) | 27.8 (4.3) | 27.0 (5.6) |
| General obesity§ | 25.3 (1168) | 23.6 (1098) |
| Early life risk factors | ||
| Parental overweight¶ | 53.0 (1815) | 53.9 (1849) |
| Maternal smoking in pregnancy | 31.4 (1361) | 32.8 (1434) |
| 42 years adult risk factors | ||
| Ever smoker** | 53.1 (2366) | 51.3 (2327) |
| Heavy drinker†† | 20.7 (924) | 6.5 (297) |
| Inactive‡‡ | 33.4 (1491) | 34.4 (1560) |
| Low fibre consumption§§ | 37.3 (1663) | 33.5 (1521) |
*Number of participants with a waist circumference measure. N varies for each characteristic due to missing data.
†>102 cm (men), >88 cm (women).
‡≥0.95 (men), ≥0.85 (women).
§BMI ≥30 kg/m2.
¶At least one parent with BMI≥25 kg/m2.
**Current and former smokers.
††>35 (men), >21 (women) units/week.
‡‡Active <1/week.
§§Wholemeal bread or rolls eaten ‘never’ or ‘occasionally’.