Table 1 Description of the participants regarding demographics and health status at baseline
| Â | Men | Missing | Women | Missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  | (n = 641) |  | (n = 756) |  |
Age, years, n (%) | ||||
 40 | 50 (7.8) |  | 53 (7.0) |  |
 50 | 171 (26.7) |  | 217 (28.7) |  |
 60 | 420 (65.5) |  | 486 (64.3) |  |
Education, n (%) | Â | 6 | Â | 7 |
 Basic or middle | 466 (73.4) |  | 454 (60.6) |  |
 High (University) | 169 (26.6) |  | 295 (39.4) |  |
BMI categories, n (%) | Â | Â | Â | 1 |
 Normal weight | 149 (23.2) |  | 289 (38.3) |  |
 Overweight | 324 (50.5) |  | 285 (37.7) |  |
 Obesity | 168 (26.2) |  | 181 (24.0) |  |
Plaque status, n (%) | Â | Â | Â | 1 |
 No plaque | 320 (49.9) |  | 461 (61.1) |  |
 Plaque | 321 (50.1) |  | 294 (38.9) |  |
IMT color code/plaque, n (%) | Â | Â | Â | 1 |
 Green/Yellow, no plaque | 105 (16.4) |  | 137 (18.1) |  |
 Orange/Red, no plaque | 215 (33.5) |  | 324 (42.9) |  |
 Green/Yellow, with plaque | 88 (13.7) |  | 52 (6.9) |  |
 Orange/red, with plaque | 233 (36.3) |  | 242 (32.1) |  |
Systolic blood pressure, mmHg, mean (SD) | 132.5 (16.1) | 1 | 127.5 (16.5) | Â |
LDL-cholesterol, mmol/l, mean (SD) | 3.51 (0.99) | 19 | 3.56 (0.95) | 6 |
Hypertension medication, n (%) | 210 (34.1) | 26 | 220 (30.0) | 23 |
Lipid lowering drug, n (%) | 91 (14.8) | 26 | 71 (9.7) | 23 |
Framingham risk score, n (%) | Â | 15 | Â | 10 |
 Low/light risk | 111 (17.7) |  | 525 (70.4) |  |
 Moderate risk | 274 (43.8) |  | 193 (25.9) |  |
 High/very high risk | 241 (38.5) |  | 28 (3.8) |  |
Perceived health past year, n (%) | Â | 2 | Â | 2 |
 Good | 478 (74.8) |  | 536 (71.1) |  |
 Poor | 161 (25.2) |  | 218 (28.5) |  |