| Characteristic | Men (n = 2844) | Women (n = 3410) |
| % or mean (95% CI) | % or mean (95% CI) | |
| Sociodemographic | ||
| Mean age (years) | 50.8 (50.3 to 51.3) | 53.0 (52.5 to 53.4) |
| Years of education | 11.3 (11.1 to 11.4) | 11.4 (11.2 to 11.4) |
| Lifestyle factor | ||
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 26.6 (26.5 to 26.8) | 25.9 (25.7 to 26.0) |
| Current smoking | 31.5 (29.7 to 33.4) | 20.2 (18.6 to 21.9) |
| Years of current smoking | 27.1 (26.2 to 28.0) | 23.5 (22.6 to 24.4) |
| Leisure-time physical activity ⩾4 times/week | 25.3 (23.7 to 26.9) | 27.7 (26.2 to 29.3) |
| Psychological factor | ||
| Somatisation (score 0–40) | 5.8 (5.6 to 6.1) | 7.5 (7.3 to 7.7) |
| Moderate to severe depression (BDI-II ⩾18) | 4.3 (3.5 to 5.2) | 5.8 (4.9 to 6.7) |
| Occupation | ||
| Currently held a job | 66.5 (64.5 to 68.3) | 59.1 (57.3 to 60.8) |
| Years in the latest job | 18.1 (17.6 to 18.6) | 16.1 (15.7 to 16.5) |
| Number of former jobs in those held a job | 1.94 (1.89 to 1.99) | 1.81 (1.76 to 1.86) |
| Physical work load factors in the latest job | ||
| Working with hands above the shoulder level for at least 1 h | 27.9 (26.1 to 29.8) | 25.3 (23.8 to 26.9) |
| Handling of loads heavier than 5 kg ⩾2 times/minute ⩾2 h/day | 26.3 (24.2 to 28.6) | 18.6 (17.3 to 20.1) |
| Handling of loads heavier than 20 kg ⩾10 times/day | 29.4 (27.4 to 31.5) | 16.6 (15.3 to 18.0) |
| Repetitive movements of the hand or wrist ⩾2 h/day | 48.1 (45.6 to 50.5) | 46.4 (44.2 to 48.5) |
| Handgrip with high forces ⩾1 h/day | 38.2 (36.1 to 40.4) | 21.3 (19.7 to 23.0) |
| Work with vibrating tools ⩾2 h/day | 17.2 (15.6 to 19.0) | 3.3 (2.7 to 4.0) |
| Carpal tunnel syndrome | ||
| Possible or probable | 2.1 (1.7 to 2.8) | 5.3 (4.5 to 6.2) |
| Probable | 0.6 (0.4 to 1.0) | 1.3 (1.0 to 1.8) |
| Operated | 0.7 (0.5 to 1.1) | 1.8 (1.4 to 2.3) |
BDI-II, Beck Depression Inventory.