Characteristics of participants included in the analysis
| All(n = 5158) | Men(n = 2628) | Women(n = 2530) | p Value‡ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMI, body mass index; SOB, shortness of breath; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity; BHR, bronchial hyperresponsiveness. | ||||
| *Mean (SD). | ||||
| †FEV1 = residual FEV1 + FEV1 mean. | ||||
| ‡For difference between sex groups using t test for continuous variables and χ2 test for categorical variables. | ||||
| Age (%) | ||||
| <40 years | 38.2 | 39.1 | 37.2 | 0.38 |
| 40–50 years | 42.2 | 41.6 | 42.8 | |
| >50 years | 19.6 | 19.3 | 20.0 | |
| Age when finished education (%) | ||||
| ⩽16 years | 17.0 | 16.0 | 18.1 | 0.11 |
| 17–21 years | 36.1 | 37.0 | 35.2 | |
| >21 years | 46.9 | 47.0 | 46.7 | |
| BMI (%) | ||||
| <25 kg/m2 | 52.1 | 43.4 | 61.2 | <0.001 |
| 25–30 kg/m2 | 35.8 | 44.8 | 26.5 | |
| >30 kg/m2 | 12.1 | 11.8 | 12.3 | |
| Smoking (%) | ||||
| Never smokers | 43.6 | 39.6 | 47.7 | <0.001 |
| Past smokers | 24.8 | 26.7 | 22.8 | |
| Moderate smokers | 20.3 | 19.5 | 21.2 | |
| Heavy smokers | 11.3 | 14.2 | 8.3 | |
| Atopy (%) | 28.5 | 32.6 | 24.2 | <0.001 |
| Asthma-like symptoms (%) | 24.1 | 25.2 | 23.0 | 0.07 |
| Wheeze | 20.5 | 22.2 | 18.8 | 0.003 |
| SOB at rest | 5.2 | 4.0 | 6.3 | <0.001 |
| Woken by SOB | 5.2 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 0.31 |
| Current asthma (%) | 4.9 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 0.11 |
| Family history of asthma (%) | 11.0 | 9.7 | 12.4 | 0.002 |
| FEV1 (l)*† | 3.60 (0.65) | 4.14 (0.40) | 3.03 (0.30) | <0.001 |
| FEV1 (% pred)* | 107 (14) | 106 (13) | 108 (14) | <0.001 |
| FVC (% pred)* | 111 (14) | 108 (13) | 115 (14) | <0.001 |
| BHR (%) | 13.0 | 9.4 | 16.6 | <0.001 |
| Usual frequency of exercise (%) | ||||
| ⩽1 time/week | 60.0 | 58.9 | 61.0 | 0.15 |
| 2–3 times/week | 26.5 | 27.7 | 25.3 | |
| ⩾4 times/week | 13.5 | 13.4 | 13.7 | |
| Usual duration of exercise (%) | ||||
| <1 h/week | 41.5 | 38.2 | 44.9 | <0.001 |
| 1–3 h/week | 42.4 | 42.8 | 42.0 | |
| ⩾4 h/week | 16.1 | 19.0 | 13.1 | |