Baseline characteristics of participants in the Women's Health Study by vitamin E randomisation
| Characteristic | Vitamin E (N=19 299)* | Placebo (N=19 298)† |
| N (%)‡ | N (%)‡ | |
| Demographic/lifestyle | ||
| Age, years‡ | 54.5 (7.0) | 54.6 (7.0) |
| <55 | 11714 (60.7) | 11679 (60.5) |
| 55–64 | 5654 (29.3) | 5677 (29.4) |
| ≥65 | 1931 (10.0) | 1942 (10.1) |
| Cigarette smoking | ||
| Current | 2434 (12.6) | 2491 (12.9) |
| Past | 6937 (36.0) | 6823 (35.4) |
| Never | 9909 (51.4) | 9968 (51.7) |
| Average duration, years‡ § | 18.8 (12.5) | 18.9 (12.6) |
| Body mass index, kg/m2‡ | 26.0 (5.0) | 26.0 (5.0) |
| <25.0 | 9598 (50.8) | 9670 (51.1) |
| 25.0–<30.0 | 5880 (31.1) | 5837 (30.8) |
| ≥30.0 | 3404 (18.0) | 3411 (18.0) |
| Nutrition | ||
| Multivitamin use | ||
| Never | 2521 (13.2) | 2553 (13.4) |
| Past only | 10927 (57.4) | 10982 (57.7) |
| Current | 5574 (29.3) | 5499 (28.9) |
| Vitamin E intake, mg/day | ||
| Diet only‡ | 6.6 (5.0) | 6.6 (5.3) |
| Diet+supplements‡ | 63.2 (143.0) | 62.6 (140.9) |
| Alcohol intake | ||
| Rare/never | 8743 (45.3) | 8590 (44.5) |
| 1–3/month | 2531 (13.1) | 2553 (13.2) |
| 1–6/week | 6048 (31.4) | 6194 (32.1) |
| 1+/day | 1970 (10.2) | 1959 (10.2) |
| Medical conditions | ||
| Asthma diagnosis | 1104 (5.7) | 1105 (5.7) |
| Cholesterol ≥240 mg/dl | 5615 (29.1) | 5688 (29.5) |
| Study aspirin assignment | 9638 (49.9) | 9654 (50.0) |
↵* N total for each characteristic ranges from 18 882 to 19 299, given missing data in some variables.
↵† N total for each characteristic ranges from 18 918 to 19 298, given missing data in some variables.
↵‡ Continuous variables are presented as mean (SD).
↵§ Average smoking duration for current and past smokers only.