Characteristics of the study participants (10 415 participants)
| Variable | No osteoarthritis | Osteoarthritis | |
| n=7243 (69.5%) | n=3172 (30.5%) | ||
| Death | No | 6204 (86) | 2568 (81) |
| Yes | 1039 (14) | 604 (19) | |
| Age, years | Mean (SD) | 65.3 (10.1) | 68.0 (10.1) |
| Sex | Male | 3525 (49) | 1284 (40) |
| Female | 3718 (51) | 1888 (60) | |
| Further education | No | 6158 (85) | 2813 (89) |
| Yes | 930 (13) | 269 (8) | |
| Missing | 155 (2) | 90 (3) | |
| Occupational class | Non-manual | 3141 (43) | 1141 (36) |
| Manual | 3624 (50) | 1726 (54) | |
| Missing | 478 (7) | 305 (10) | |
| Smoking | No/previous | 4176 (58) | 1887 (60) |
| Current | 3003 (41) | 1245 (39) | |
| Missing | 64 (1) | 40 (1) | |
| Cognitive behaviour (0–100)* | Median (IQR) | 0 (0–13.2) | 12.7 (0–37.2) |
| IHD consultation† | No | 6760 (93) | 2749 (87) |
| Yes | 483 (7) | 423 (13) | |
| COPD consultation† | No | 6972 (96) | 2969 (94) |
| Yes | 271 (4) | 203 (6) | |
| Diabetes consultation† | No | 6894 (95) | 2897 (91) |
| Yes | 349 (5) | 275 (9) | |
| NSAIDs prescription† | No | 5072 (70) | 1488 (47) |
| Yes | 2171 (30) | 1684 (53) | |
| Self-report heart condition | No | 4475 (62) | 1507 (48) |
| Yes | 2768 (38) | 1665 (52) | |
| Body mass index‡, kg/m2 | Mean (SD) | 26.2 (4.4) | 27.7 (5.2) |
| Walking frequency | High | 4257 (59) | 1129 (36) |
| Low | 2798 (39) | 1974 (62) | |
| Missing | 188 (2) | 69 (2) | |
| Depression | Non-case | 5970 (83) | 1947 (61) |
| Possible/probable case | 1106 (15) | 1143 (36) | |
| Missing | 167 (2) | 82 (3) | |
| Anxiety | Non-case | 4785 (66) | 1375 (43) |
| Possible/probable case | 2284 (32) | 1719 (54) | |
| Missing | 174 (2) | 87 (3) | |
| Unrefreshed sleep | No | 6125 (85) | 2191 (69) |
| Yes | 907 (12) | 900 (28) | |
| Missing | 211 (3) | 81 (3) |
All values are N (%) unless otherwise stated.
*Higher score indicates worse score; based on 6833 and 2940 participants for those without and with OA, respectively.
†Obtained from medical records.
‡Based on 6955 and 3024 participants for those without and with OA, respectively.
COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; IHD, ischaemic heart disease; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.