Table 1.
Characteristics of Thrivers, Nonthrivers, Institutionalized, and Deceased NPHS Participants Aged 65–85 Years at Baseline
| Baseline Characteristics*‡ | Thrivers*† (N = 190) | Nonthrivers‡ (N = 1076) | p § | Institutionalized (N = 273) | p ∥ | Deceased (N = 893) | p # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic | |||||||
| Age in years, M (SE) | 70 (0.3) | 71 (0.2) | <.01 | 76 (0.4) | <.001 | 74 (0.3) | <.001 |
| Female, % (n) | 55.6 (115) | 62.3 (690) | .27 | 69.7 (202) | .16 | 45.3 (441) | <.01 |
| Married, % (n) | 65.1 (106) | 62.4 (541) | .78 | 53.2 (97) | .54 | 57.8 (415) | .48 |
| ≥ High school, % (n) | 65.0 (120) | 48.6 (486) | <.01 | 40.6 (109) | <.001 | 40.0 (332) | <.001 |
| Household income¶, % (n) | |||||||
| <$15,000 (reference category) | 12.9 (31) | 22.5 (321) | 36.0 (123) | 26.8 (304) | |||
| $15,000–$29,999 | 35.9 (76) | 44.4 (429) | .32 | 40.9 (97) | .08 | 45.2 (368) | .15 |
| >$29,999 | 51.2 (75) | 33.1 (265) | <.01 | 23.1 (42) | <.001 | 28.0 (178) | <.001 |
| Psychosocial factors | |||||||
| Perceived social support, range: 0–4, M (SE) | 3.7 (0.07) | 3.6 (0.03) | .58 | 3.6 (0.1) | .28 | 3.6 (0.04) | .44 |
| Social involvement, range: 0–8, M (SE) | 3.7 (0.3) | 3.7 (0.1) | .84 | 3.6 (0.2) | .46 | 2.9 (0.1) | <.01 |
| Sense of coherence, range: 0–78, M (SE) | 68.7 (0.7) | 63.0 (0.5) | <.001 | 61.7 (1.2) | <.001 | 62.3 (0.5) | <.001 |
| Mastery, range: 0–28, M (SE) | 21.0 (0.4) | 19.0 (0.2) | <.001 | 18.1 (0.4) | <.001 | 18.4 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Self-esteem, range: 0–24, M (SE) | 21.3 (0.2) | 20.0 (0.1) | <.001 | 19.4 (0.2) | <.001 | 19.7 (0.1) | <.001 |
| Psychological distress (K6), range: 0–24, M (SE) | 1.1 (0.1) | 2.6 (0.1) | <.001 | 3.7 (0.4) | <.001 | 3.3 (0.2) | <.001 |
| Behavioral factors | |||||||
| Never smoked, % (n) | 51.3 (99) | 43.6 (453) | <.05 | 47.7 (139) | <.01 | 28.1 (261) | <.001 |
| Moderate alcohol use, % (n) | 47.5 (79) | 28.5 (270) | <.001 | 15.5 (37) | <.001 | 24.3 (201) | <.001 |
| Physically active, % (n) | 64.7 (122) | 55.4 (543) | .13 | 38.4 (97) | <.01 | 44.1 (326) | <.001 |
| Normal weight (BMI = 18.5–24.9 kg/m2), % (n) | 48.7 (86) | 42.2 (425) | .14 | 47.2 (127) | .17 | 50.0 (391) | .53 |
| Health status | |||||||
| Absence of life-threatening illness, % (n) | 70.7 (133) | 54.4 (591) | <.01 | 47.5 (132) | <.01 | 42.9 (385) | <.001 |
| Absence of chronic illness, % (n) | 60.0 (112) | 31.3 (331) | <.001 | 28.1 (74) | <.001 | 33.3 (267) | <.001 |
| Functional limitations, range: 0–6, M (SE) | 0.1 (0.02) | 0.4 (0.03) | <.01 | 1.1 (0.1) | <.001 | 1.0 (0.08) | <.001 |
| Self-rated health, range: 0–4, M (SE) | 3.1 (0.07) | 2.3 (0.04) | <.001 | 1.9 (0.1) | <.001 | 1.9 (0.05) | <.001 |
| Number of medications used, M (SE) | 1.5 (0.1) | 2.1 (0.07) | <.001 | 2.1 (0.1) | <.01 | 2.5 (0.1) | <.001 |
Notes: Percentages and means (M) are weighted, numbers are presented as unweighted figures, and statistical testing is adjusted for age and sex using multinomial regression.
All variables were measured at cycle 1 (1994–1995).
Thriving health is defined as having a Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) score between 0.89 and 1.00 at each cycle.
Any other health trends excluding deceased and institutionalized.
Nonthrivers vs thrivers.
Institutionalized vs thrivers.
Based on 1–2 persons living in the household in Canadian dollars.
Deceased vs thrivers.
NPHS = Canadian National Population Health Survey; SE = standard error; K6 = Kessler 6-item nonspecific psychological distress scale; BMI = body mass index.