Table 2

Baseline characteristics by study group and gender

Runners' Association

Community Controls

Ever-Runners

Never-Runners

Female (n = 82)

Male (n = 410)

Female (n = 163)

Male (n = 211)

Female (n = 93)

Male (n = 472)

Female (n = 152)

Male (n = 149)

Mean (SE)

Age (years)

59.9 (0.5)^a

62.0 (0.3)^a

65.5 (0.5)

64.6 (0.5)

60.3 (0.5)^a

62.0 (0.3)^a

65.7 (0.6)

65.5 (0.6)

Education (years)

16.3 (0.3)

16.6 (0.1)^a

15.8 (0.2)

17.5 (0.2)

16.4 (0.3)^a

16.8 (0.1)

15.7 (0.2)

17.3 (0.2)

BMI (kg/m²)

21.6 (0.2)^a

23.2 (0.1)^a

23.2 (0.3)

25.0 (0.2)

21.6 (0.2)^a

23.3 (0.1)^a

23.4 (0.3)

25.3 (0.3)

Pain (VAS 0–100; 0 = no pain)

20.9 (2.6)^a

20.7 (1.2)

27.6 (2.1)

23.0 (1.6)

19.6 (2.4)^a

20.5 (1.1)

28.8 (2.1)

24.3 (1.9)

Hospital days/past year

0.09 (0.1)^a

0.31 (0.1)

0.45 (0.1)

0.25 (0.1)

0.08 (0.0)^a

0.28 (0.1)

0.48 (0.2)

0.33 (0.1)

Running miles (week)

19.4 (1.3)^a

26.9 (0.7)^a

0.99 (0.4)

3.0 (0.4)

17.4 (1.34)^a

24.3 (0.7)^a

0.9 (0.4)

1.3 (0.4)

Exercise minutes (week)

310.8 (19.8)^a

314.2 (10.3)^a

115.8 (10.0)

129.0 (9.1)

283.9 (18.9)^a

292.2 (9.7)^a

118.2 (10.8)

121.6 (9.4)

Cigarette (packs/day)

0.09 (0.04)

0.01 (0.04)^a

0.13 (0.0)

0.05 (0.0)

0.05 (0.0)^a

0.01 (0.0)^a

0.16 (0.0)

0.06 (0.0)

Alcohol (oz./day)

1.0 (0.1)

1.1 (0.1)^a

1.0 (0.8)

1.4 (0.1)

0.98 (0.1)

1.14 (0.1)^a

1.01 (0.1)

1.46 (0.1)

Subjects (%) with history of

Arthritis

45

33

47

36

42

33

49

36

Fractures

54

53

41

52

51

52

42

54

Cancer

0

0.002

0

0.009

0

0.004

0

0.007

^ap < 0.05 male or female Runners' Association versus matched community controls or male or female Ever-Runners versus matched gender Never-Runners. BMI, body mass index; VAS, visual analog scale.

Bruce et al. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2005 7:R1263   doi:10.1186/ar1825