Table 1.
Respondent Characteristics, Sample for Analysis of the Assets and Health Dynamics of the Oldest Old Study (AHEAD, 1995) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS, 1996) (N = 759)
| Respondent characteristic | Mexican American (N = 427) | Puerto Rican (N = 56) | Cuban (N = 101) | Hispanic-Other Ethnicity (N = 60) | Hispanic-Ethnicity Not Specified (N = 115) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic | (years) SD | (years) SD | (years) SD | (years) SD | (years) SD |
| Age | 68.6 (8.1) | 69.2 (9.0) | 71.2 (8.8) | 75.2 (6.6) | 63.0 (4.1) |
| Sex | n % | n % | n % | n % | n % |
| Male | 179 (41.9) | 14 (25.0) | 44 (43.6) | 17 (28.3) | 55 (47.8) |
| Female | 248 (58.1) | 42 (75.0) | 57 (56.4) | 43 (71.7) | 60 (52.2) |
| Cultural Factors | |||||
| Birthplace | |||||
| Born outside of the US | 184 (43.1) | 41 (73.2) | 98 (97.0) | 30 (50.0) | 64 (55.7) |
| Born in the US | 243 (56.9) | 15 (26.8) | 3 (3.0) | 30 (50.0) | 51 (44.3) |
| Interview Language Preferred | |||||
| Spanish | 263 (61.6) | 28 (50.0) | 90 (89.1) | 26 (43.3) | 58 (50.4) |
| English | 164 (38.4) | 28 (50.0) | 11 (10.9) | 34 (56.7) | 57 (49.6) |
| Socioeconomic Status | |||||
| Household Income Level | |||||
| Low income (<$15,000/year) | 258 (60.4) | 31 (55.4) | 66 (65.3) | 32 (53.3) | 42 (36.5) |
| Medium income (>=$15,000/year) | 142 (33.3) | 21 (37.5) | 33 (32.7) | 20 (33.3) | 60 (52.2) |
| Occupational Level (highest achieved) | |||||
| Manual laborer (eg., operative) | 237 (55.5) | 24 (42.9) | 52 (51.5) | 26 (43.3) | 45 (39.1) |
| Professional, managerial, clerical | 166 (38.9) | 23 (41.1) | 44 (43.6) | 25 (41.7) | 58 (50.4) |
| Education (highest grade completed) | |||||
| No formal education | 55 (12.9) | 3 (5.4) | 2 (2.0) | 3 (5.0) | 4 (3.5) |
| Grades 1–7 | 205 (48.0) | 18 (32.1) | 46 (45.5) | 21 (35.0) | 31 (27.0) |
| Grade 8 | 42 (9.8) | 5 (8.9) | 10 (9.9) | 5 (8.3) | 13 (11.3) |
| Grades 9–11 | 39 (9.1) | 11 (19.6) | 7 (6.9) | 9 (15.0) | 16 (13.9) |
| Grade 12 | 60 (14.1) | 12 (21.4) | 14 (13.9) | 11 (18.3) | 25 (21.7) |
| Grade 13 and up | 26 (6.1) | 7 (12.5) | 22 (21.8) | 11 (18.3) | 26 (22.6) |
| Chronic health conditions ever had | |||||
| High blood pressure | 201 (47.1) | 27 (48.2) | 55 (54.5) | 34 (56.7) | 53 (46.1) |
| Heart condition | 78 (18.3) | 12 (21.4) | 22 (21.8) | 14 (23.3) | 16 (13.9) |
| Diabetes | 109 (25.5) | 14 (25.0) | 19 (18.8) | 10 (16.7) | 18 (15.7) |
| Stroke | 18 (4.2) | 2 (3.6) | 5 (5.0) | 3 (5.0) | 1 (0.9) |
| Cancer | 26 (6.1) | 4 (7.1) | 12 (11.9) | 8 (13.3) | 6 (5.2) |
| Arthritis | 121 (28.3) | 18 (32.1) | 41 (40.6) | 21 (35.0) | 26 (22.6) |
| Pulmonary disease | 29 (6.8) | 4 (7.1) | 7 (6.9) | 5 (8.3) | 5 (4.3) |
| Physical Functioning | |||||
| Activities of Daily Living (number of difficulties, 0–4) | |||||
| 0 | 212 (49.6) | 21 (37.5) | 60 (59.4) | 32 (53.3) | 70 (60.9) |
| 1 | 90 (21.1) | 11 (19.6) | 15 (14.9) | 10 (16.7) | 22 (19.1) |
| 2 | 49 (11.5) | 9 (16.1) | 10 (9.9) | 6 (10.0) | 11 (9.6) |
| 3 | 41 (9.6) | 5 (8.9) | 8 (7.9) | 3 (5.0) | 9 (7.8) |
| 4 | 33 (7.7) | 9 (16.1) | 8 (7.9) | 8 (13.3) | 3 (2.6) |
| Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (number of difficulties, 0–6) | |||||
| 0 | 337 (78.9) | 42 (75.0) | 82 (81.2) | 50 (83.3) | 103 (89.6) |
| 1 | 51 (11.9) | 11 (19.6) | 12 (11.9) | 6 (10.0) | 9 (7.8) |
| 2 | 17 (4.0) | 1 (1.8) | 5 (5.0) | 2 (3.3) | 3 (2.6) |
| 3 | 8 (1.9) | 1 (1.8) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.7) | 0 (0.0) |
| 4 | 4 (0.9) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| 5 | 6 (1.4) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
| 6 | 1 (0.2) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) |
Notes: Sample n’s may not sum to total due to missing data. Percentages are based on complete sample totals within each group.
AHEAD = Assets and Health Dynamics of the Oldest Old; HRS = Health and Retirement Study; SD = standard deviation.