Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of the Duke EPESE sample in 1989–1990.
| Individual level covariates | Mean (SD) or % |
|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | |
| Age | 74.6 years (5.4) |
| Sex (% female) | 65.0% |
| Race (% Black) | 52.8% |
| Education | 9.0 (4.1) |
| Income* | |
| • ≤US$8414 | 35.5% |
| • US$8415–15,894 | 27.9% |
| • >US$15,894 | 36.6% |
| Health status | |
| Number of prescription drugs | 2.3 (2.2) |
| Self-rated health | |
| •Excellent | 17.4% |
| •Good | 44.4% |
| • Fair | 32.4% |
| • Poor | 7.8% |
| BMI | |
| • <25 | 42.5% |
| • 25–30 | 37.7% |
| • >30 | 19.7% |
| Depression | 7.8% |
| Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (mean number of errors [SD]) | 1.2 (1.5) |
| Functional limitations on 13-item scale (mean [SD]) | 1.4 (2.3) |
| • 0 problems | 52.2% |
| • 1–2 problems | 29.2% |
| • 3+ problems | 18.6% |
| Health behaviors | |
| Current smoker | 13.1% |
| Alcohol drunk/month (ounces absolute alcohol) | 0.6 (8.1) |
| • Any | 22.8% |
| • None | 77.2% |
| Current vitamin/mineral use (any) | 17.4% |
| Negative life events (including potential housing exposure) in past year | |
| No negative life events | 53.1% |
| One negative life event | 26.6% |
| Two or more negative life events | 21.3% |
| Years at current address | 23.8 (17.3) |
| Missing indoor toilet, electricity, hot/cold water or enough heat | 8.0% |
| Census tract variables‡ | |
| Population density (persons per sq. kilometer) | 575 (688) |
| % Non-Latino Black | 49.17 (25.94) |
| % Female-headed household | 27.22 (14.89) |
| Median housing value | US$61.956 (22.357) |
| % Blue collar | 62.39 (11.77) |
| % aged 65 years and over | 14.71 (4.73) |
| Median income | US$34.444 (11.641) |
| % Occupied housing | 54.87 (19.11) |
| % Persons in poverty | 17.85 (10.67) |
| % Elderly in poverty | 22.87 (11.37) |
*
Income adjusted to year 2006 using the most recent data from US Census Bureau [34].
‡
Weighted means reported for Census tract variables represent 1726 individuals in 84 Census tracts.
EPESE: Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly; SD: Standard deviation.