Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics for All Variables Used in the Analysis, by Formal and Informal End of Life Planning Strategy, New Jersey End of Life Study (NJEOL; N = 253).
| Total | Formal planning | Informal planning | |||
| Yes | No | Yes | No | ||
| Death quality attributes | |||||
| Pain | |||||
| No pain: not conscious | 6.32 | 8.4 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 4.1 |
| No pain: death was sudden | 8.30 | 6.7 | 9.7 | 7.2 | 10.9 |
| No pain | 16.2 | 19.3 | 13.4 | 17.8 | 12.3 |
| Slight pain | 8.30 | 7.6 | 8.9 | 10.0 | 4.1 |
| Moderate pain | 12.7 | 15.9 | 9.7 | 12.2 | 13.7 |
| Severe pain | 23.5 | 18.5 | 26.1 | 21.7 | 24.7 |
| DK | 25.7 | 23.5 | 27.6 | 23.9 | 30.1 |
| Mental awareness | |||||
| Yes, could make decisions | 47.1 | 50.4 | 44.0* | 52.8 | 32.9* |
| No, could not make decisions | 39.9 | 38.7 | 41.0* | 35.6 | 50.7* |
| DK | 12.0 | 10.1 | 14.2* | 10.6 | 16.4 |
| Died at home | |||||
| Yes, at home | 40.0 | 42.1 | 38.1 | 41.1 | 36.9 |
| No, at institution | 60.0 | 57.9 | 61.9 | 58.9 | 63.0 |
| At least one problem with end-of-life care | |||||
| Yes | 23.1 | 22 | 24.3 | 20.7 | 28.6 |
| No | 76.9 | 78 | 75.7 | 79.3 | 71.4 |
| Timing | |||||
| Sudden | 29.6 | 24.4 | 34.3† | 27.8 | 34.2 |
| Forewarned | 67.2 | 73.9 | 61.2† | 68.9 | 63.0 |
| DK | 3.2 | 1.7 | 4.3 | 3.3 | 2.7 |
| Decedent’s preparation | |||||
| Formal preparation | |||||
| Yes, did any ACP | 38.4 | 58.0 | 35.8*** | 17.8 | 37.0*** |
| No, did not do ACP | 36.4 | 11.8 | 33.6*** | 52.2 | 31.5*** |
| DK | 25.2 | 30.3 | 30.6 | 30.0 | 315 |
| Living will | |||||
| Yes | 35.6 | 51.3 | 21.6*** | 43.9 | 15.1*** |
| No | 33.9 | 18.5 | 47.8*** | 26.1 | 53.4*** |
| DK | 30.5 | 30.3 | 30.6 | 30.0 | 31.5 |
| Durable power of attorney for health care | |||||
| Yes | 45.1 | 57.1 | 34.3*** | 51.7 | 28.8*** |
| No | 26.1 | 12.6 | 38.1*** | 18.9 | 43.8*** |
| DK | 28.8 | 30.3 | 26.9 | 28.9 | 27.4 |
| Demographic characteristics | |||||
| Age | 69.44 (8.93) | 71.43 (8.88) | 67.66*** (8.62) | 70.15 (8.91) | 67.69*** (8.81) |
| Female | 64.0 | 56.3 | 71.9* | 63.3 | 65.8 |
| White | 51.2 | 76.3 | 29.1*** | 62.6 | 23.3*** |
| Black | 25.3 | 15.9 | 33.6*** | 22.8 | 31.5 |
| Hispanic | 18.7 | 4.2 | 32.0*** | 10.6 | 38.9*** |
| Other race/ethnicity | 4.4 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 5.6 |
| Spanish language | 10.3 | 1.7 | 18.0*** | 3.3 | 27.4*** |
| Family characteristics | |||||
| Married | 49.6 | 58.0 | 42.1* | 53.6 | 39.7*** |
| Widowed | 26.6 | 24.4 | 28.6* | 26.3 | 27.4 |
| Separated/divorced | 14.7 | 10.1 | 18.8 | 11.7 | 21.9* |
| Never married | 9.1 | 7.6 | 10.5 | 8.4 | 10.9 |
| Number of children | 3.25 (2.44) | 2.81 (2.47) | 3.65** (2.35) | 3.10 (2.45) | 3.62 (2.38) |
| Socioeconomic Status | |||||
| Education (in years) | 13.71 (4.49) | 15.2 (4.08) | 12.38*** (4.42) | 14.53 (3.87) | 11.74*** (5.23) |
| Owns home | 56.6 | 78.2 | 37.3*** | 63.9 | 38.4 |
| Income | 49,792 (44,517) | 63,781 46,005) | 37,369*** (39.326) | 57,319 (46,371) | 31,232*** (33,156) |
| Income data missing | 9.1 | 10.1 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 10.9 |
| Health characteristics | |||||
| Self/rated health, fair/poor | 46.3 | 41.2 | 50.8 | 41.7 | 57.5* |
| Depressive symptoms (CES-D) | 1.23 (1.26) | 1.14 (1.18) | 1.32 (1.34) | 1.13 (1.16) | 1.49* (1.47) |
| N | 253 | 119 | 134 | 73 | 180 |
| % | 100 | 47 | 53 | 39 | 71 |
Notes: Means (and SDs) are shown for continuous variables, percentages are shown for categorical variables. Significant subgroup differences are evaluated with t tests (continuous measures) and chi-square tests (categorical measures). Statistically significant differences are signified as †p < .15. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.
ACP = advance care planning; DK = don’t know