Operational definitions of variables
| Variables | AHA definition | Criteria in the present study |
| Smoking | Ideal: Never smoked or having smoked for more than 12 months Intermediate: Stopped smoking for less than 12 months Poor: Current smoker–participants who reported consuming all forms of smoking tobacco (cigarette, pipe, snuff, etc.) daily or occasionally within 30 days of the survey. | |
| Fruit and vegetable consumption | Ideal: Four to five fruit and vegetable components/day Intermediate: Two to three fruit and vegetable components/day Poor: Zero to one fruit and vegetable component/day | Ideal: Consume at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day Intermediate: Two to four servings of fruit and vegetables per day Poor: Zero to one serving of fruits and vegetables per day |
| Physical activity | Ideal: ≥150 min/week moderate intensity or≥75 min/week vigorous intensity exercise or≥150 min/week moderate+vigorous intensity exercise Intermediate: A total of 1–149 min/week moderate intensity, 1–74 min/week vigorous intensity or 1–149 min/week moderate+vigorous exercise Poor: No physical activity | Ideal: ≥1500 metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-min/week Intermediate: 600–1500 MET-min/week Poor: <600 MET-min/week |
| Body mass index | Ideal: <25 kg/m2 Intermediate: 25–29.9 kg/m2 Low: ≥30 kg/m2 | |
| Blood pressure | Ideal: Systolic BP (SBP)<120 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP)<80 mmHg Intermediate: SBP between 120 and 139 mm Hg and DBP between 80 and 89 mm Hg or subjects on antihypertensive medication poor: SBP≥140 mmHg or DBP≥90 mmHg | |
| Total cholesterol | Ideal: < 200 mg/dL Intermediate: 200–239 mg/dL or treatment Poor: ≥240 mg/dL | |
| Glycaemia | Ideal: <100 mg/dL Intermediate: 100–125 mg/dL or treatment Poor: ≥126 mg/dL | |
| Poor | 0 | 0 ideal criteria |
| Intermediate | 1 | 1 ‘ideal’ criterion |
| 2 | 2 ‘ideal’ criteria | |
| 3 | 3 ‘ideal’ criteria | |
| 4 | 4 ‘ideal’ criteria | |
| 5 | 5 ‘ideal’ criteria | |
| 6 | 6 ‘ideal’ criteria | |
| Ideal | 7 | All criteria are ‘ideal’ |