Table 3 Descriptive characteristics of 12 316 women from the EPIC-Norfolk cohort by social class.

N = 12 316

795

4329

2419

2634

1652

487

Age (years)

56.6 ± 9.1

57.1 ± 9.3

59.7 ± 9.4

57.1 ± 8.9

58.4 ± 8.9

59.6 ± 9.1

< 0.001

Body mass index (kg/m²)

25.4 ± 4.3

25.8 ± 4.1

26.0 ± 4.2

26.5 ± 4.4

26.8 ± 4.6

27.5 ± 5.1

< 0.001

Cigarette smoking habit

   Never

63.4 (500)

57.4 (2462)

56.0 (1350)

55.9 (1459)

54.4 (887)

56.9 (273)

< 0.001

   Former

29.0 (229)

32.6 (1397)

32.2 (776)

31.1 (813)

32.6 (532)

30.0 (144)

   Current

7.6 (60)

10.1 (431)

11.8 (283)

13.0 (340)

13.0 (212)

13.1 (63)

Finished school

81.8 (650)

68.4 (2959)

52.5 (1271)

40.7 (1073)

32.3 (534)

23.0 (112)

< 0.001

Self-rated Health

   Excellent

21.9 (174)

19.5 (842)

15.8 (381)

13.6 (357

11.1 (183)

9.5 (46)

< 0.001

   Good

66.2 (526)

65.0 (2817)

65.3 (1580)

65.4 (1722)

63.7 (1052)

60.2 (293)

   Moderate

108 (86)

14.3 (620)

17.8 (431)

19.4 (512)

23.2 (384)

27.3 (133)

   Poor

1.1 (9)

1.2 (50)

1.1 (27)

1.6 (43)

2.0 (33)

3.1 (15)

Units of alcohol per week

   0

8.8 (70)

12.4 (537)

16.6 (401)

20.1 (529)

23.4 (387)

30.8 (150)

< 0.001

   1–13.9

76.6 (609)

76.4 (3307)

76.8 (1858)

75.0 (1976)

72.3 (1194)

66.9 (326)

   ≥ 14

14.6 (116)

11.2 (485)

6.6 (160)

4.9 (129)

4.3 (71)

2.3 (11)

Physical activity

   Inactive

19.4 (154)

25.6 (1108)

34.6 (836)

28.8 (758)

31.3 (517)

34.9 (170)

< 0.001

   Moderately inactive

35.5 (282)

34.0 (1471)

34.4 (831)

31.5 (829)

29.4 (485)

22.8 (111)

   Moderately active

28.8 (229)

24.3 (1050)

19.2 (464)

22.7 (598)

20.8 (343)

23.6 (115)

   Active

16.4 (130)

16.2 (700)

11.9 (288)

17.1 (449)

18.6 (307)

18.7 (91)