Table 1. Descriptive statistics for analysis variables by country.
| Taiwana | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| (n=961) | (n=970) | |
| Control Variables | ||
| Age, mean (SD), y | 65.2 (9.1) | 57.9 (11.5) |
| Education | ||
| 6 years or less, No. (%) | 624 (64.9) | 1 (0.1) |
| 7-11 years, No. (%) | 110 (11.5) | 34 (3.5) |
| H.S. graduate/GED, No. (%) | 117 (12.1) | 202 (20.8) |
| 13-15 years, No. (%) | 47 (4.9) | 277 (28.6) |
| College graduate, No. (%) | 57 (5.9) | 225 (23.2) |
| Graduate school, No. (%) | 6 (0.6) | 231 (23.8) |
| Mainlander, No. (%) | 97 (10.1) | N/A |
| Hispanic, nonwhite or mixed race, No. (%) | N/A | 116 (12.0) |
| Waist circumference, mean (SD), cm | 83.9 (9.8) | 96.5 (16.7) |
| Antihypertensive medication, No. (%) | 272 (28.3) | 336 (34.6) |
| Lipid lowering medication, No. (%) | 63 (6.6) | 283 (29.2) |
| Hormone/steroid medication, No. (%)b | 41(4.2) | 150 (15.5) |
| Self-assessed health status (1-5), mean (SD) | 3.3 (1.0) | 3.7 (0.9) |
| CES-Depression scale (0-30), mean (SD) | 4.3 (5.1) | N/A |
| CIDI-SF depressive symptoms (0-7), mean (SD) | N/A | 0.6 (1.8) |
| Functional limitations (0-6), mean (SD) | 1.0 (1.6) | 1.7 (2.0) |
| Measures of Social Relationships | ||
| Married or lives with a partner, No. (%) | 756 (78.7) | 718 (74.0) |
| Weekly contact with non-resident family, No. (%) | 903 (94.0) | 844 (87.0) |
| Weekly contact with friends, No. (%) | 745 (77.5) | 783 (80.7) |
| Weekly contact with both family and friends, No. (%) | 705 (73.4) | 701 (72.3) |
| Attends church/temple at least sometimes/monthly, No. (%) | 571 (59.4) | 543 (56.0) |
| Participates in some other social group, No. (%) | 444 (46.2) | 634 (65.4) |
| Social integration (0-4), mean (SD) | 2.6 (1.0) | 2.7 (1.1) |
| Score = 0, No. (%) | 20 (2.1) | 23 (2.4) |
| Score = 1, No. (%) | 122 (12.6) | 128 (13.2) |
| Score = 2, No. (%) | 285 (29.6) | 241 (25.0) |
| Score = 3, No. (%) | 355 (36.9) | 323 (33.4) |
| Score = 4, No. (%) | 182 (18.9) | 252 (26.1) |
| Perceived social support (0-3), mean (SD) | 2.5 (0.4) | 2.4 (0.5) |
| Score = 0-0.9, No. (%) | 4 (0.5) | 14 (1.4) |
| Score = 1-1.9, No. (%) | 70 (7.3) | 141 (14.5) |
| Score = 2-2.9, No. (%) | 688 (71.4) | 651 (67.3) |
| Score = 3, No. (%) | 201 (20.9) | 162 (16.7) |
| Health Behaviors | ||
| Never smoked, No. (%) | 604 (62.9) | 516 (53.2) |
| Former smoker, No. (%) | 169 (17.6) | 341 (35.2) |
| Current smoker, No. (%) | 188 (19.6) | 113 (11.7) |
| Never drink alcohol, No. (%) | 692 (72.0) | 313 (32.3) |
| Sometimes drink alcohol, No. (%) | 212 (22.0) | 518 (53.4) |
| Frequently drink alcohol, No. (%) | 57 (6.0) | 139 (14.3) |
| Inflammatory Markers | ||
| C-reactive protein, mean (SD), mg/L | 1.6 (1.7) | 2.1 (2.1) |
| IL-6, mean (SD), pg/mL | 3.3 (5.2) | 2.6 (2.5) |
| Soluble IL-6 receptor, mean (SD), ng/mL | 43.4 (17.1) | 36.5 (10.3) |
| Fibrinogen, mean (SD), mg/dL | 324.5 (65.0) | 336.4 (79.8) |
| Soluble ICAM-1, mean (SD), ng/mL | 268.1 (94.7) | 285.7 (98.7) |
| Soluble E-selectin, mean (SD), ng/mL | 43.2 (34.7) | 41.3 (20.6) |
Abbreviations: ICAM-1, Intercellular adhesion molecule 1; IL-6, Interleukin 6.
Data for Taiwan are weighted to adjust for oversampling and for differential response rates by age, sex and other covariates.
Includes corticosteroids, androgens, estrogens, and progestins (including hormonal contraceptives). In Taiwan, the variable also includes thyroid and hypophysis (pituitary) hormones; the data are not sufficiently detailed to distinguish between these hormones and steroids. Thus, this measure captures use of steroidal anti-inflammatories (e.g., dexamethasone, prednisone), but data are not available in both surveys to identify use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (e.g., ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen).
One respondent from MIDUS is missing data for IL-6, sIL-6R, sICAM-1, and sE-selectin.