Table 2 Pre-specification of predictor variables for AvHPoRT with initial degrees of freedom (df)

Demographics

Age (years)

5-knot restricted cubic spline

4

Continuous

Self-identified ethnicity

1

Dichotomous

White

Non-white

Socioeconomic status and self-perceived measures

Immigration status

2

Categorical

Canadian born

Recent immigrant

Immigrated < 10 years

Non-recent immigrant

Immigrated ≥ 10 years

Marital status

2

Categorical

Single never married

Domestic partner (married/common law)

Widowed/separated/divorced

Household income

4

Ordinal

Quintile 1

Lowest 20%

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

Highest 20%

Education

3

Ordinal

Less than secondary school graduation

Secondary school graduation

Some post-secondary education

Post-secondary completed

Self-perceived general health

4

Ordinal

Excellent

Very good

Good

Fair

Poor

Self-perceived life stress

4

Ordinal

Not at all

Not very

A bit stressful

Quite a bit

Extremely stressful

Self-perceived community belonging

3

Ordinal

Very strong

Somewhat strong

Somewhat weak

Very weak

Health behaviors

Cigarette smoking

4

Categorical

Non-smoker

Never a smoker or former occasional smoker with < 100-lifetime cigarettes

Former heavy smoker

Former smoker [≥ 1 pack (25 cigarettes)/day]

Former light smoker

Former smoker [< 1 pack (25 cigarettes)/day]

Heavy smoker

Current smoker [≥ 1 pack (25 cigarettes)/day]

Light smoker

Current smoker [< 1 pack (25 cigarettes)/day]

Alcohol consumption

3

Categorical

Non-drinker

No alcohol consumption in the last 12 months or drink frequency fewer than once a week

Light drinker

Alcohol consumption frequency at least once a week and 0–2 (females) or 0–3 (males) drinks in the previous week

Moderate drinker

3–14 (females) or 4–21 (males) drinks in the previous week

Heavy drinker

 ≥ 14 (females) or ≥ 21 (males) drinks in the previous week, or binging behavior on a weekly basis (≥ 5 drinks on any occasion)

Daily fruit and vegetable consumption

2

Ordinal

Low consumption

0 to less than 3 times daily

Medium consumption

3 to less than 6 times daily

High consumption

6 or more times daily

Leisure physical activity (kcal/kg/day)

2

Ordinal

Active

3.0 or more metabolic equivalents per day

Moderate

1.5–2.9 metabolic equivalents per day

Inactive

Less than 1.5 metabolic equivalents per day

Body mass index (BMI) (kg/m²)

5-knot restricted cubic spline

4

Continuous

Chronic conditions

Self-reported chronic conditions diagnosed by a health professional

17

Dichotomous

Including asthma, arthritis, back problems, high blood pressure, migraines, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, intestinal ulcers, stroke, urinary incontinence, bowel disease, mood disorder, or anxiety disorder

Yes/no for each individual chronic condition

Healthcare utilization

Ever had a flu shot

Yes/no

1

Binary

Has a regular medical doctor

Yes/no

1

Binary

Area-based variables

Rurality

1

Dichotomous

Population center

Population of at least 1000 and a density of ≥ 400 people per square kilometer based on current census population counts

Rural area

Population concentration or densities below the urban threshold based on current census population counts

Material deprivation

4

Ordinal

Quintile 1

Least deprived

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

Most deprived

Ethnic diversity

4

Ordinal

Quintile 1

Least diverse

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

Most diverse

Residential instability

4

Ordinal

Quintile 1

Least unstable

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

Most unstable

Dependency

4

Ordinal

Quintile 1

Least dependent

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

Most dependent

Area-level household income

4

Ordinal

Quintile 1

Lowest

Quintile 2

Quintile 3

Quintile 4

Quintile 5

Highest