Table 1. Description of the sample at baseline (1998).

Variable	Mean (SD)
Age	84.12 (4.10)
Years of Education	10.85 (3.52)
CVB	1.31 (.92)
ADLs	.63 (1.16)
IADLs	.23 (.59)
Self-Rated Health Change	.23 (1.10)
	% of Sample
Ethnic Distribution
White	79.7
Black	14.3
Hispanic	5.2
Other	0.8
Medical Diagnoses
Hypertension	53.8
Diabetes	11.3
Cardiac Disease	30.9
Arthritis	64.8
Pulmonary Disease	7.2
Cancer	13.8
Sample size at each wave
1998	1368
2000	1139
2002	899
2004	696
2006	517
2008	365