Table 1.
Characteristics of the Prudential Medicare Study and National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)-Elderly Samples, 1997
| Prudential Study 1997 | NHIS-Elderly 1997 | |
|---|---|---|
| (N = 2,824) | (N = 6,819) | |
| Female, % | 58 | 62 |
| Age, % | ||
| 65–69 | 37 | 27 |
| 70–74 | 28 | 27 |
| 75–79 | 19 | 22 |
| 80–84 | 11 | 15 |
| 85 | 5 | 10 |
| Race/ethnicity, % | ||
| Black | 11 | 8 |
| White | 76 | 86 |
| Hispanic | 12 | 4 |
| Other | 1 | 2 |
| Marital status, % | ||
| Married | 55 | 42 |
| Previously married | 43 | 54 |
| Never married | 2 | 5 |
| Years of schooling completed, % | ||
| 0–8 | 17 | 19 |
| 9–11 | 18 | 18 |
| 12 or GED | 34 | 32 |
| >12 | 30 | 31 |
| Annual income, % | ||
| Less than $10,000 | 20 | 25 |
| $10,001 - $15,000 | 24 | 13 |
| $15,001 - $25,000 | 35 | 29 |
| $25,001 - $35,000 | 9 | 11 |
| $35,001+ | 12 | 23 |
| Test-based literacy | ||
| S-TOHFLA health literacy score, mean (SD) | 71.3 (26.8) | NA |
| Inadequate health literacy (S-TOHFLA ≤53), % | 25 | NA |
| Self-reported health/chronic condition | ||
| General health - fair or poor, % | 24 | 26 |
| Hypertension, % | 45 | 52 |
| Diabetes, % | 14 | 13 |
| Difficulty with ADL, % | 3.3 | 5.3 |
| Difficulty with an IADL, % | 28 | NA |
| Never had flu vaccination, % | 21 | NA |
| Physical SF-12 score, mean (SD) | 45.8 (10.9) | NA |
| Mental SF-12 score, mean (SD) | 55.2 (8.5) | NA |
Note: Estimates for NHIS 1997 are weighted to adjust for the sampling design
NA = Not available in NHIS