Table 1.
Baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics among study groups
| Control (n = 44) (%) | NV-only (n = 44) (%) | NV+AB (n = 45) (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age-group | |||
| 70–74 | 36.4 | 45.5 | 42.2 |
| 75–79 | 34.1 | 34.1 | 37.8 |
| 80–84 | 22.7 | 15.9 | 13.3 |
| 85–90 | 6.8 | 4.6 | 6.7 |
| Sex | |||
| Men | 47.7 | 47.7 | 40.0 |
| Marital status | |||
| Living with a partner | 52.3 | 56.8 | 46.7 |
| Widowed | 31.8 | 27.3 | 42.2 |
| Living alone | 15.9 | 15.9 | 11.1 |
| Years of school | |||
| 0–2 | 20.5 | 34.1 | 26.7 |
| 3–5 | 34.1 | 20.5 | 26.7 |
| 6–8 | 22.7 | 36.4 | 26.7 |
| 9+ | 22.7 | 9.1 | 20.0 |
| Sought/received health services | 79.6 | 84.1 | 82.2 |
| in past 6 months (IMSS) | |||
| Total independence in activities | 81.8 | 77.3 | 73.3 |
| of daily living | |||
| Able to walk in the street | 52.2 | 56.8 | 55.5 |
| Charlson comorbidity index | |||
| 3–6 | 56.8 | 50.0 | 60.0 |
| 7–12 | 43.2 | 50.0 | 40.0 |
| Depressiona | 22.7 | 29.6 | 33.3 |
| Cognitive impairmentb | 29.6 | 22.7 | 33.3 |
| Frailtyc | 45.5 | 43.2 | 46.7 |
| Unintentional weight loss | 20.5 | 18.2 | 15.6 |
| Self-reported exhaustion | 18.2 | 25.0 | 33.3 |
| Weakness | 52.3 | 50.0 | 60.0 |
| Slow walking speed | 100.0 | 95.5 | 97.8 |
| Low physical activity level | 43.2 | 52.3 | 57.8 |
Notes:aA score of 16 or more on the CES-D scale; ba score of 23 or less on Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); cwith frailty phenotype, according to Fried et al’s criteria.31 Weight loss was defined as a self-report of an unintentional loss of 4.5 kg or more in the prior year or after 9 months of follow-up. Exhaustion was identified by self-report of two questions from the CES-D scale:21,22 “I felt that everything I did was an effort” and “I could not get going.” Subjects answering “a moderate amount of time” or “most of the time” were categorized as frail in this dimension. Low physical activity level was measured by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.32,33 Participants were identified as positive if their physical activity was scored as less than moderate. The pattern of activity classified as “moderate” is either of the following criteria: 3 or more days of vigorous-intensity activity of at least 20 minutes per day or 5 or more days of moderate-intensity activity and/or walking of at least 30 minutes per day. Slowness was identified if participants could not walk 8 feet or could not walk this distance in 7 seconds. Weakness was measured by grip strength adjusted by sex, with cutoffs for women of 17 kg and for men of 30 kg. Abbreviations: N V, nurse visits; NV+AB, nurse visits including an alert button; CES-D, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression; IMSS, Mexican Social Security Institute.