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Table 1 Characteristics at baseline of study participants with information on BC (n = 540) and PM2.5 (n = 475)a

From: Exposure to sub-chronic and long-term particulate air pollution and heart rate variability in an elderly cohort: the Normative Aging Study

Study variable

Subjects with BCb

Subjects with PM2.5b

Age (years)

73.6 (7.0)

75.2 (6.4)

Body mass index (kg/m2)

28.1 (4.0)

27.9 (4.1)

  ≥ 30 kg/m2 (n [%])

137 (25.4)

121 (25.5)

  < 30 kg/m2 (n [%])

403 (74.6)

354 (74.5)

Fasting blood glucose (n [%])

  

  < 110 mg/dL

371 (68.7)

332 (69.9)

  ≥ 110 or <126 mg/dL

96 (17.8)

91 (19.2)

  ≥ 126 mg/dL

73 (13.5)

52 (11.0)

Smoking

  

 Never smoker

156 (28.9)

143 (30.1)

 Current smoker

22 (4.1)

14 (3.0)

 Former smoker

362 (67.0)

318 (67.0)

Anti-hypertensive medicine use (n [%])

  

 Yes

325 (60.2)

311 (65.5)

 No

215 (39.8)

164 (34.5)

Season

  

 Spring

135 (25.0)

112 (23.6)

 Summer

109 (20.2)

120 (25.3)

 Fall

166 (30.7)

144 (30.3)

 Winter

130 (24.1)

99 (20.8)

Mean arterial pressure (mmHg)

92.6 (10.7)

87.9 (10.0)

Room temperature (°C)

24.1 (1.9)

23.3 (1.8)

Diabetes (n [%])

  

 Yes

107 (19.8)

99 (20.8)

 No

433 (80.2)

376 (79.2)

Oxidative stress gene score

  

 Low

184 (42.0)

146 (38.4)

 High

254 (58.0)

234 (61.6)

Heart rate variability

  

 Log10HF, msec2

1.9 (0.7)

2.0 (0.7)

 Log10LF, msec2

2.0 (0.6)

1.9 (0.6)

 Log10SDNN, msec

1.5 (0.3)

1.5 (0.3)

 Log10LF:HF

0.04 (0.5)

−0.05 (0.5)

  1. BC black carbon, PM 2.5 particulate matter <2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter
  2. aNormative Aging Study (2000–2011)
  3. bValues are mean (SD) or n (%)