Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics for the Participants Across the Study Waves
| Variable | W1: n = 15,073 | W2: n = 13,192 | W4: n = 8,160 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age (SD) | 63.91 (9.37) | 66.40 (9.28) | 70.88 (8.91) |
| No. (%) women | 8,303 (55.1) | 7,276 (55.2) | 4,537 (55.6) |
| Mean education (SD)a | 2.52 (1.55) | 2.52 (1.55) | 2.56 (1.56) |
| Mean household income in Euro (SD) | 42,815.75 (53,350.90) | — | — |
| Mean depressive symptoms (SD) | 2.26 (2.17) | — | — |
| Mean ADLb | 0.14 (0.61) | 0.18 (0.70) | 0.29 (0.96) |
| Mean IADLb | 0.24 (0.80) | 0.31 (0.94) | 0.47 (1.27) |
| Mean functional limitationb | 0.63 (1.04) | 0.71 (1.11) | 0.89 (1.27) |
| Mean medical conditions (SD) | 1.22 (1.25) | 1.26 (1.26) | 1.49 (1.34) |
| No. (%) ever smoked | 7,145 (47.5) | 6,232 (47.3) | 3,823 (46.9) |
| Mean alcohol consumption (SD)c | 4.23 (2.26) | 4.31 (2.26) | 4.17 (2.32) |
| Mean body mass index (SD) | 26.50 (4.27) | 26.61 (4.41) | 26.53 (4.53) |
| Mean verbal fluency (SD) | 18.93 (6.76) | — | — |
| Mean word recall (SD) | 3.44 (1.97) | — | — |
| Mean arithmetic (SD) | 2.39 (1.08) | — | — |
Notes. W1 data collection: 2004–2006; W2 data collection: 2006–2008; W4 data collection: 2010–2012. Only respondents who completed the cumulative adversity items in W3 were included. ADL = difficulty in activities of daily living; IADL = difficulty in instrumental activities of daily living.
aRecorded by one of seven education levels according to the International Standard Classification of Educational Degrees (ISCED-97; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), 1997): (0) preprimary education, (1) primary education, (2) lower secondary education, (3) upper secondary education, (4) postsecondary education, (5) first tertiary education, and (6) second stage tertiary education.
bIn all three waves, the median score was 0 and the range was 0–6, 0–7, and 0–5, for ADL, IADL, and functional limitation, respectively.
cReferred to the past 6 months, scale ranged from 1 (not at all in the last 6 months) to 7 (almost every day).