Baseline characteristics of all study participants by fifths of resting heart rate
| Characteristic | Fifths of resting heart rate, beats per minute (bpm), (range) | Total | ||||
| Q1 (35–69) | Q2 (69.5–75) | Q3 (75.5–81) | Q4 (81.5–88) | Q5 (88.5–198) | ||
| Number of participants, n | 100 873 | 101 540 | 100 155 | 93 331 | 95 886 | 491 785 |
| Demographic and SES | ||||||
| Age, mean (SD), year | 52.9 (10.5) | 51.8 (10.5) | 51.4 (10.5) | 51.1 (10.6) | 51.0 (10.8) | 51.7 (10.6) |
| Women, n (%) | 49 680 (49.3) | 60 251 (59.3) | 61 882 (61.8) | 58 312 (62.5) | 59 238 (61.8) | 289 363 (58.8) |
| Married, n (%) | 91 870 (91.1) | 92 476 (91.1) | 90 973 (90.8) | 84 848 (90.9) | 86 539 (90.3) | 446 706 (90.8) |
| Rural area, n (%) | 56 384 (55.9) | 57 891 (57.0) | 54 880 (54.8) | 53 531 (57.4) | 56 548 (59.0) | 279 234 (56.8) |
| High school education or higher, n (%) | 21 113 (20.9) | 21 337 (21.0) | 21 560 (21.5) | 19 269 (20.6) | 18 451 (19.2) | 101 730 (20.7) |
| Annual household income >30 000 Yuan, n (%) | 44 377 (44.0) | 43 499 (42.8) | 43 677 (43.6) | 38 980 (41.8) | 39 112 (40.8) | 209 645 (42.6) |
| Lifestyle factors | ||||||
| Regular alcohol drinkers, n (%) | 17 555 (17.4) | 14 972 (14.7) | 13 902 (13.9) | 13 356 (14.3) | 14 350 (15.0) | 74 135 (15.1) |
| Current smoker, n (%) | 36 565 (36.2) | 30 641 (30.2) | 28 852 (28.8) | 26 788 (28.7) | 27 807 (29.0) | 150 653 (30.6) |
| Physical activity, median (IQR), MET-hour/day | 18.4 (10.7–31.3) | 18.3 (11.0–30.7) | 17.8 (10.7–30.3) | 17.7 (10.7–30.2) | 17.4 (10.3–29.9) | 18.0 (10.7–30.5) |
| Physical measurements | ||||||
| Resting heart rate, mean (SD), bpm | 64.1 (4.1) | 72.4 (1.7) | 78.2 (1.8) | 84.5 (2.0) | 96.7 (7.6) | 78.7 (11.7) |
| SBP, mean (SD), mm Hg | 129.2 (21.2) | 128.7 (20.5) | 129.5 (20.5) | 130.9 (20.8) | 135.2 (21.6) | 130.6 (21.1) |
| DBP, mean (SD), mm Hg | 75.4 (10.6) | 76.3 (10.7) | 77.3 (10.9) | 78.4 (11.0) | 81.1 (11.5) | 77.7 (11.1) |
| BMI, mean (SD), kg/m2 | 23.4 (3.2) | 23.5 (3.2) | 23.6 (3.3) | 23.7 (3.4) | 23.7 (3.6) | 23.6 (3.4) |
| Self-reported health and disease | ||||||
| Hypertension, n (%) | 31 921 (31.6) | 30 140 (29.7) | 31 638 (31.6) | 31 710 (34.0) | 40 691 (42.4) | 166 100 (33.8) |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 3290 (3.3) | 4031 (4.0) | 5123 (5.1) | 5826 (6.2) | 8555 (8.9) | 26 825 (5.5) |
| Kidney disease, n (%) | 1424 (1.4) | 1418 (1.4) | 1380 (1.4) | 1296 (1.4) | 1259 (1.3) | 6777 (1.4) |
| Stroke or TIA, n (%) | 1570 (1.6) | 1391 (1.4) | 1454 (1.5) | 1332 (1.4) | 1439 (1.5) | 7186 (1.5) |
| Any cancer, n (%) | 464 (0.5) | 431 (0.4) | 456 (0.5) | 464 (0.5) | 583 (0.6) | 2398 (0.5) |
| COPD, n (%) | 7039 (7.0) | 6757 (6.7) | 6619 (6.6) | 6657 (7.1) | 7882 (8.2) | 34 954 (7.1) |
| Emphysema or bronchitis, n (%) | 2237 (2.2) | 2254 (2.2) | 2239 (2.2) | 2334 (2.5) | 3170 (3.3) | 12 234 (2.5) |
| Asthma, n (%) | 452 (0.4) | 444 (0.4) | 461 (0.5) | 514 (0.6) | 681 (0.7) | 2552 (0.5) |
| Tuberculosis, n (%) | 1447 (1.4) | 1439 (1.4) | 1318 (1.3) | 1350 (1.4) | 1420 (1.5) | 6974 (1.4) |
| Cirrhosis / Hepatitis B, n (%) | 1363 (1.4) | 1288 (1.3) | 1169 (1.2) | 1093 (1.2) | 995 (1.0) | 5908 (1.2) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis, n (%) | 1969 (2.0) | 1970 (1.9) | 1979 (2.0) | 1744 (1.9) | 1783 (1.9) | 9445 (1.9) |
| Poor self-rated health, n (%) | 8704 (8.6) | 9106 (9.0) | 9055 (9.0) | 9427 (10.1) | 11 389 (11.9) | 47 681 (9.7) |
| Medication use | ||||||
| BP-lowering drug, n (%) | 10 348 (10.3) | 8946 (8.8) | 9328 (9.3) | 9133 (9.8) | 11 356 (11.8) | 49 111 (10.0) |
| Aspirin, n (%) | 641 (7.2) | 556 (6.7) | 607 (6.7) | 604 (6.6) | 693 (6.0) | 3101 (6.6) |
| Statin, n (%) | 142 (0.1) | 144 (0.1) | 160 (0.2) | 156 (0.2) | 171 (0.2) | 773 (0.2) |
ACE, angiotensin-converting enzyme; BMI, body mass index; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; MET, metabolic equivalent task; n, frequency; Q1–5, first to the fifth quintile; SBP, systolic blood pressure; SES, socioeconomic status; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.