Table 1.
Description of variables.
| Variable | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| Social isolation | “How often do you feel isolated from others?” | Never = 56.6%, Rarely = 30.7%, Occasionally = 9.5%, Fairly Often = 2.3%, Always = 1% |
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| Residence in HDB housing | The respondent resides in HDB public housing | Yes = 87.3%, No = 12.7% |
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| Daily participation in a HDB neighborhood event | Yes = 78.1%, No = 21.9% | |
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| Network Composition and size | The respondent is widowed | Yes = 35.5%, No = 64.5% |
| The respondent lives alone | Yes = 5.8%, No = 94.2% | |
| The respondent lives with children | Yes = 69.6%, No = 30.4% | |
| “If you live with your children, what is the household size?” | Mean = 4.2, SD = 1.6 | |
| “Among all your relatives not living with you (including children and grandchildren), how many relatives do you see or hear from at least once a month?” | 0 relatives = 14.7%, 1 relative = 4.1%, 2 relatives = 12.5%, 3-4 relatives = 26.9%, 5–8 relatives = 23.9%, ≥9 relatives = 17.9% |
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| “Among all your friends including those who live in your neighborhood, how many friends do you see or hear from at least once a month?” | 0 friends = 14.7%, 1 friend = 3.6%, 2 friends = 14.1%, 3-4 friends = 30.7%, 5–8 friends = 14.9%, ≥9 friends = 22% |
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| “Among all your neighbors including those you consider your friend, how many neighbors do you see or hear from at least once a month?” | 0 neighbors = 11.1%, 1 neighbor = 10.1%, 2 neighbors = 21.8%, 3-4 neighbors = 36%, 5–8 neighbors = 12.4%, ≥9 neighbors = 8.6% |
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| Frequency of Contact within Network | “How often do you see or hear from relatives with whom you have the most contact?” | Never = 5%, Seldom = 11.6%, Sometimes = 25%, Often = 36.9%, Very Often = 12.5%, Always = 9% |
| “How often do you see or hear from friends including those who live in your neighborhood with whom you have the most contact?” | Never = 13.2%, Seldom = 12.6%, Sometimes = 27.7%, Often = 32.8%, Very Often = 7.7%, Always = 6% |
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| There is no question in the survey on the frequency of contact with neighbors including those considered as friends | ||
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| Age | Min = 60, Max = 101 Mean = 72.8, SD = 8.1 |
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| Income | Household monthly income (Singapore Dollar $1 = US$0.81) | Less than S$500 = 9.5%, S$500–S$999 = 14.6%, S$1,000 to S$1,999 = 24.6%, S$2,000 to S$2,999 = 15.9%, S$3,000 to S$3,999 = 6.2%, S$4,000 to S$4,999 = 2.8%, ≥S$5,000 = 3.2%, refuse to respond = 3.2%, do not know = 20% |
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| Physical health | Self-rated difficulties with the following eight ADLs: (1) take a bath/shower, (2) dress up, (3) eat, (4) transfer stand up from a bed/chair, (5) walk around the house, (6) walk outside of the house, (7) use a squatting toilet, and (8) use a sitting toilet | 0 ADL difficulty = 62.7% 1 ADL difficulty = 13.6% 2-3 ADL difficulties = 12.7% ≥4 ADL difficulties = 11% |
| Self-rated difficulties with the following seven IADLs: (1) prepare own meals, (2) leave the home to purchase necessary items or medication, (3) take care of financial matters such as paying utilities, (4) use the phone, (5) light housework, (6) take public transport to leave home, and (7) take medication as prescribed | 0 IADL difficulty = 82.5% 1-2 IADL difficulties = 8.5% ≥3 IADL difficulties = 9% |
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| Gender | The respondent is female | Female = 54.9%, Male = 45.1% |
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| Ethnicity | Chinese = 71.52%, Malay = 17.08%, Indian = 10.22%, Other ethnicities = 1.18% |
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