Table 1.

Baseline characteristics of the analytical sample measured in 2008–2009 (N = 3925)^a

	Percentage
Age group, years
50–59	38.8
60–69	43.5
70+	17.7
Sex
Male	43.8
Female	56.2
Ethnicity
White	97.4
Non-White	2.6
Marital status
Single, never married	6.0
Married or partnered	72.5
Separated, divorced or widowed	21.5
Educationb
Low (below bachelor)	77.9
High (bachelor and above)	22.1
Employment status
Not in paid work	52.2
In paid work	47.8
Wealth quintileb
Lowest	20.0
Second	20.0
Third	20.0
Fourth	20.0
Highest	20.0
Self-reported healthb
At least good	83.6
Poor or fair	16.4
Memory testb
Mean (s.d.)	11.6 (3.0)
Smoking statusb
Never smoked	43.4
Ex-smoker	45.9
Current smoker	10.7
Daily drinking
No	85.3
Yes	14.7
Physical activity level: moderate or vigorous	91.9
inactive	8.2
Quality of sleepb
At least good	78.5
Poor or fair	21.5

^a.Source: English Longitudinal Study of Ageing wave 4 (2008–2009) (N = 3925). Sample restricted to participants in waves 4–9 who were successfully interviewed in the first COVID-19 sub-study.

^b.Variables with missing values at baseline; percentages are based on 20 imputed data-sets.