Table 1 Full population characteristics at baseline, 2001

Number of participants

4,136,220

72,342

73,388

1,046

Person-years

55,563,446

Male (%)

47.8

52.3

52.4

58.4

Age (%)

 30–64

76.5

22.1

22.5

53.0

 65–79

18.3

55.3

55.0

34.3

 80+

5.2

22.6

22.5

12.7

Mother tongue (%)

 German and Rhaeto-Romansch

65.5

72.5

72.4

70.4

 French

19.3

17.2

17.2

20.4

 Italian

7.4

7.9

7.9

5.7

 Other

7.8

2.4

2.4

3.5

Education (%)

 Compulsory education or less

24.7

44.2

44.0

30.2

 Upper secondary level

53.0

44.4

44.5

50.6

 Tertiary level education

22.3

11.4

11.5

19.2

Marital status (%)^a

 Single

13.4

8.4

8.6

16.2

 Married

69.9

57.0

57.0

57.4

 Divorced

8.5

7.6

7.7

12.1

 Widowed

8.2

26.9

26.7

14.3

Swiss nationality (%)^a

83.2

91.5

91.5

89.9

Local-SEP (%), mean (SD)^{a, b}

63.3 (10.5)

61.8 (10.0)

61.8 (10.0)

63.3 (10.2)

Area-SEP community (%), mean (SD)^a

62.9 (6.7)

62.4 (6.5)

62.4 (6.5)

63.2 (6.4)

Area-SEP community-region (%), mean (SD)^a

0.1 (5.2)

-0.4 (5.1)

-0.4 (5.1)

0.1 (5.0)

Area unemployment community (%), mean (SD)^a

3.5 (1.4)

3.5 (1.4)

3.5 (1.4)

3.6 (1.4)

Area unemployment community-region(%), mean (SD)^a

0.0 (1.2)

0.1 (1.2)

0.1 (1.2)

0.1 (1.2)

Road traffic noise, Lden (dB), mean (SD)^a

54.3 (8.2)

55.0 (8.2)

55.1 (8.2)

55.4 (8.0)

Railway noise Lden (dB), mean (SD)^a

38.4(11.0)

38.9 (11.3)

38.9 (11.3)

39.0 (11.3)

Aircraft noise Lden (dB), mean (SD)^a

34.5 (7.7)

34.2 (7.5)

34.2 (7.5)

34.5 (7.4)

Total noise Intermittency Ratio (IR) at night (%)^a

69.7 (20.9)

70.3 (20.4)

70.3 (20.4)

69.6 (19.9)

Total noise events at night (count), mean (SD)^a

171.1 (188.7)

181.5 (196.6)

181.7 (196.8)

190.8 (205.9)

NO₂ concentration (µg/m³), mean (SD)

23.6 (7.4)

23.7 (7.5)

23.8 (7.5)

24.6 (7.6)

PM_2.5 concentration (µg/m³), mean (SD)

15.9 (2.4)

15.9 (2.4)

15.9 (2.4)

16.1 (2.3)