Skip to main content

Table 1 Characteristics and lung function by race/ethnicity

From: Race-specific reference values and lung function impairment, breathlessness and prognosis: Analysis of NHANES 2007–2012

Factor

White people

Black people

Other

N

5,928

3,130

5,065

Age, mean (SD)

45.7 (16.0)

42.1 (15.8)

39.5 (14.5)

Female, %

50.3%

53.7%

48.3%

Weight (kg), mean (SD)

83.0 (20.7)

87.9 (24.0)

76.7 (19.2)

Height (cm), mean (SD)

170.7 (9.8)

169.6 (9.5)

165.1 (9.6)

Body mass index (kg/m2), mean (SD)

28.4 (6.5)

30.6 (8.1)

28.1 (6.2)

FEV1 (L), mean (SD)

3.3 (0.9)

2.9 (0.8)

3.2 (0.8)

FVC (L), mean (SD)

4.3 (1.1)

3.6 (1.0)

4.0 (1.0)

FEV1/FVC, mean (SD)

0.77 (0.08)

0.80 (0.08)

0.81 (0.07)

Breathlessness prevalence*, %

29.3%

33.7%

24.4%

Deaths by December 31, 2015, %

3.0%

3.5%

2.2%

  1. Characteristics are weighted to represent the mean US population in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2012. * Breathlessness prevalence is in people aged 40 years or older. Abbreviations: FEV1 = forced expiratory volume in one second. FVC = forced vital capacity