Table 1 Demographic characteristics according to baseline alcohol consumption status, NHIS 1997–2014
Characteristics | Lifetime abstainer | Former infrequent drinker | Former regular drinker | Current infrequent drinker | Current light drinker | Current moderate drinker | Current heavy drinker | P values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  | (n = 223,757) | (n = 62,185) | (n = 78,769) | (n = 122,441) | (n = 264,067) | (n = 122,825) | (n = 44,485) |  |
Age group (years) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  < 0.001 |
 18–45 | 55,083 (50.9) | 9925 (30.4) | 13,265 (31.9) | 32,482 (49.7) | 85,727 (58.3) | 38,280 (53.2) | 13,803 (53.4) |  |
 45–65 | 32,174 (27.0) | 13,703 (40.9) | 16,740 (38.3) | 23,314 (35.5) | 45,620 (31.6) | 23,835 (33.8) | 8927 (35.3) |  |
  ≥ 65 | 33,006 (22.2) | 11,684 (28.7) | 15,818 (29.8) | 12,023 (14.8) | 17,798 (10.1) | 10,690 (13.0) | 3295 (11.2) |  |
Sex |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  < 0.001 |
 Men | 33,979 (33.7) | 13,418 (41.7) | 23,057 (54.3) | 21,381 (35.4) | 69,199 (50.2) | 51,502 (72.7) | 13,892 (55.2) |  |
 Women | 86,284 (66.3) | 21,894 (58.3) | 22,766 (45.7) | 46,438 (64.6) | 79,946 (49.8) | 21,303 (27.3) | 12,133 (44.8) |  |
Race/ethnicity |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  < 0.001 |
 Hispanic | 29,962 (18.8) | 5173 (11.4) | 6214 (9.9) | 11,220 (12.2) | 23,211 (11.8) | 9391 (9.7) | 2964 (8.1) |  |
 Non-Hispanic white | 56,030 (54.9) | 21,833 (69.5) | 30,921 (74.8) | 43,123 (71.0) | 100,583 (74.1) | 53,524 (79.2) | 19,346 (80.3) |  |
 Non-Hispanic black | 23,408 (16.6) | 6365 (13.9) | 6840 (11.3) | 9613 (11.2) | 17,318 (9.1) | 6998 (7.5) | 2666 (8.0) |  |
 Other | 10,847 (9.7) | 1941 (5.2) | 1839 (4.0) | 3858 (5.6) | 8012 (5.0) | 2886 (3.6) | 1045 (3.6) |  |
Education |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  < 0.001 |
 Less than high school | 35,712 (26.2) | 8576 (21.9) | 12,431 (23.9) | 10,210 (13.4) | 16,868 (9.8) | 8362 (10.1) | 3935 (13.9) |  |
 High school | 35,983 (31.3) | 11,291 (33.4) | 14,329 (32.9) | 19,883 (30.4) | 36,007 (24.7) | 17,676 (24.5) | 7468 (29.6) |  |
 More than high school | 47,399 (42.5) | 15,254 (44.7) | 18,782 (43.2) | 37,504 (56.2) | 95,901 (65.5) | 46,545 (65.5) | 14,537 (56.4) |  |
Marital status |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  < 0.001 |
 Married | 52,840 (51.3) | 16,582 (59.7) | 21,746 (60.1) | 33,882 (60.3) | 72,400 (58.3) | 33,513 (56.3) | 9355 (45.7) |  |
 Divorced/separated/widowed | 34,703 (18.8) | 12,505 (24.4) | 16,448 (24.6) | 18,137 (17.8) | 31,771 (13.8) | 15,415 (13.6) | 6669 (17.5) |  |
 Never married | 32,380 (29.9) | 6177 (15.9) | 7557 (15.3) | 15,684 (21.9) | 44,718 (27.9) | 23,748 (30.1) | 9953 (36.8) |  |
Smoking status |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  < 0.001 |
 Nonsmoker | 98,271 (82.4) | 17,906 (50.5) | 17,220 (37.6) | 38,867 (57.1) | 82,805 (56.0) | 31,389 (43.9) | 7418 (28.6) |  |
 Former smokers | 10,959 (8.5) | 10,070 (28.4) | 18,372 (40.2) | 14,565 (21.5) | 33,444 (22.7) | 20,360 (28.4) | 6442 (25.4) |  |
 Current smoking | 10,883 (9.0) | 7289 (21.2) | 10,160 (22.2) | 14,335 (21.4) | 32,745 (21.3) | 20,992 (27.8) | 12,144 (46.0) |  |
Physical activity |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  < 0.001 |
 Insufficient | 82,467 (68.6) | 23,390 (65.2) | 29,580 (67.5) | 38,660 (58.1) | 70,048 (47.6) | 30,635 (42.6) | 12,506 (48.6) |  |
 Active | 11,784 (10.9) | 4082 (12.0) | 4612 (11.1) | 9078 (14.2) | 22,462 (15.9) | 10,644 (15.7) | 3340 (13.8) |  |
 Highly active | 21,521 (20.5) | 7648 (22.8) | 8638 (21.3) | 17,435 (27.7) | 51,012 (36.4) | 28,865 (41.7) | 9136 (37.6) |  |
Body mass index category |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  < 0.001 |
 Normal weight | 47,518 (41.0) | 10,943 (31.0) | 15,435 (33.2) | 23,544 (34.7) | 60,082 (40.0) | 29,017 (39.0) | 11,702 (44.8) |  |
 Overweight | 37,421 (30.4) | 11,661 (33.1) | 15,965 (35.2) | 21,577 (32.1) | 51,255 (34.7) | 28,651 (39.8) | 8892 (34.3) |  |
 Obese | 35,324 (28.6) | 12,708 (35.9) | 14,423 (31.6) | 22,698 (33.2) | 37,808 (25.3) | 15,137 (21.1) | 5431 (20.8) |  |
Chronic diseases | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 CVD | 17,544 (13.2) | 8090 (21.9) | 11,597 (24.2) | 9351 (13.1) | 14,489 (9.3) | 7686 (10.2) | 2847 (10.4) |  < 0.001 |
 Hypertension | 37,963 (28.2) | 15,494 (41.5) | 18,954 (39.0) | 20,384 (28.5) | 32,488 (20.7) | 17,650 (23.7) | 7214 (26.6) |  |
 Cancer | 8497 (6.5) | 4243 (11.7) | 5783 (12.2) | 5628 (8.1) | 9434 (6.1) | 5163 (7.0) | 1951 (7.5) |  < 0.001 |
 Diabetes | 13,056 (9.6) | 6040 (16.1) | 7247 (15.0) | 6148 (8.7) | 7046 (4.6) | 2834 (3.7) | 924 (3.3) |  < 0.001 |
 Chronic lower respiratory tract diseases | 15,442 (12.9) | 6652 (18.6) | 8385 (17.9) | 11,395 (16.7) | 20,604 (13.7) | 9307 (12.6) | 4138 (15.4) |  < 0.001 |