Absolute and relative change in age adjusted risk factor levels* between 1994 and 2008, by education level and sex
| Men | Women | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education level† | Education level† | |||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| Daily smoking (%) | ||||||||
| Absolute reduction in proportion | 14.6 | 14.0 | 11.8 | 10.6 | 8.7 | 7.7 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Relative reduction in % | 31.1 | 36.2 | 38.1 | 54.1 | 18.8 | 20.5 | 19.1 | 25.0 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | ||||||||
| Absolute increase in kg/m2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.9 |
| Relative increase in % | 5.0 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 3.7 |
| Obesity‡ (%) | ||||||||
| Absolute increase in proportion | 10.4 | 12.2 | 9.8 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 6.4 |
| Relative increase in % | 93.7 | 114.0 | 93.3 | 82.4 | 30.5 | 76.9 | 107.8 | 83.1 |
| Systolic BP (mm Hg) | ||||||||
| Total study sample | ||||||||
| Absolute reduction in mm Hg | 4.2 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 6.1 | 6.9 | 8.0 | 7.7 |
| Relative reduction in % | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 6.0 | 5.9 |
| Antihypertensives (AHT) users | ||||||||
| Absolute reduction in mm Hg | 7.6 | 9.8 | 10.8 | 10.5 | 16.3 | 11.2 | 16.6 | 12.7 |
| Relative reduction in % | 5.0 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 10.1 | 7.2 | 10.5 | 8.1 |
| Cholesterol (mmol/L) | ||||||||
| Total study sample | ||||||||
| Absolute reduction in mmol/L | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| Relative reduction in % | 15.6 | 12.9 | 11.5 | 10.0 | 16.9 | 11.3 | 10.0 | 8.5 |
| Lipid-lowering drug (LLD) users | ||||||||
| Absolute reduction in mmol/L | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.8 |
| Relative reduction in % | 30.4 | 25.0 | 24.6 | 23.3 | 26.8 | 22.1 | 26.8 | 13.3 |
The Tromsø Study.
*Values are mean (SD) or % (number). The number of participants per educational group: see table 1.
†1: ≤9 years of schooling; 2: 10–12 years of schooling; 3: college/university <4 years; 4: college/university ≥4 years.
‡Obesity was defined as BMI ≥30 kg/m2.
BMI, Body Mass Index; BP, blood pressure.