Table 1.
Characteristics of the study sample
| Characteristics | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle | |
| Gender | |
| Male | 957 (40.7) |
| Female | 1393 (59.3) |
| Age | |
| 70–79 years | 858 (36.8) |
| 80–89 years | 969 (41.6) |
| 90 years and older | 502 (21.6) |
| Living in a couple | 991 (42.2) |
| With children | 2056 (90.2) |
| Professional category | |
| High | 283 (12.1) |
| Intermediate | 1111 (47.4) |
| Low | 952 (40.6) |
| Economic situation | |
| Good | 1008 (43.5) |
| Fair | 1152 (49.7) |
| Poor | 156 (6.7) |
| Full coverage of health care expenditures | 1321 (57.1) |
| Regular tobacco smoking | 76 (3.3) |
| Health and functional abilities | |
| At least one chronic health problem or disease | 2278 (98.0) |
| Asthma | 72 (3.1) |
| Allergies | 172 (7.4) |
| Diabetes | 279 (12.0) |
| Cataract | 359 (15.5) |
| High blood pressure | 745 (32.0) |
| Heart attack | 21 (0.9) |
| Stroke | 42 (1.8) |
| Chronic bronchitis/emphysema | 214 (9.2) |
| Arthrosis/(rheumatic) arthritis | 1544 (66.0) |
| Osteoporosis | 304 (13.4) |
| Gastric or duodenal ulcer | 47 (2.0) |
| Cancer, malignant tumour | 69 (3.0) |
| Migraines/frequent headaches | 191 (8.2) |
| Chronic anxiety/depression | 435 (18.7) |
| Hearing impairment | 83 (3.6) |
| Visual impairment | 233 (10.2) |
| Difficulty chewing hard foods | 539 (23.6) |
| Need for help | |
| In IADL | 522 (22.4) |
| In ADL | 351 (15.0) |
| Homebound status | 249 (10.8) |
| Depressive symptoms | 465 (20.0) |