Table 1. Characteristics of Study Populationa.
| % of Decedentsb | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval of Death | |||||||
| Characteristic | All (n = 7,204) |
1998-2000 (n = 1,243) |
2000-2002 (n = 1,226) |
2002-2004 (n = 1,144) |
2004-2006 (n = 1,186) |
2006-2008 (n = 1,212) |
2008-2010 (n = 1,193) |
| Age at death | |||||||
| < 65 | 12.3 | 13.7 | 10.4 | 7.8 | 14.6 | 14.6 | 12.0 |
| 65-74 | 19.6 | 20.4 | 21.2 | 18.1 | 18.3 | 18.5 | 21.3 |
| 75-84 | 32.6 | 33.0 | 33.2 | 39.1 | 31.5 | 30.4 | 29.2 |
| > 84 | 35.5 | 32.9 | 35.2 | 35.0 | 35.6 | 36.5 | 37.5 |
| Women | 53.6 | 51.3 | 53.0 | 54.4 | 51.4 | 55.9 | 55.4 |
| Ethnicity | |||||||
| Non-Hispanic White | 83.2 | 84.4 | 82.3 | 83.7 | 81.9 | 83.1 | 83.8 |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 10.3 | 10.3 | 10.7 | 9.9 | 10.6 | 10.6 | 9.9 |
| Hispanic | 4.6 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.9 |
| Other | 1.9 | 1.6 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
| Decedent categories | |||||||
| Cancer | 22.2 | 23.8 | 21.8 | 21.2 | 20.9 | 22.5 | 22.9 |
| CHF or chronic lung disease | 32.5 | 27.7 | 30.9 | 32.9 | 34.8 | 33.5 | 34.6 |
| Frailty | 15.5 | 14.5 | 15.0 | 15.4 | 16.1 | 16.9 | 14.8 |
| Sudden death | 15.7 | 18.7 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 13.4 | 16.1 | 15.7 |
| Symptoms | |||||||
| Moderate or severe pain | 50.6 | 46.7 | 47.7 | 49.9 | 51.9 | 51.5 | 54.8 |
| Any pain | 57.5 | 53.1 | 53.9 | 56.8 | 58.7 | 57.9 | 63.6 |
| Depression | 51.4 | 44.6 | 49.5 | 51.8 | 52.0 | 53.2 | 55.5 |
| Periodic confusion | 47.9 | 41.7 | 42.8 | 46.1 | 49.6 | 54.1 | 49.1 |
| Dyspnea | 52.6 | 49.8 | 51.9 | 52.4 | 50.9 | 53.5 | 56.2 |
| Incontinence | 45.8 | 41.9 | 43.2 | 47.6 | 47.1 | 46.3 | 46.8 |
| Severe fatigue | 62.4 | 59.2 | 57.9 | 63.0 | 66.6 | 62.7 | 62.6 |
| Anorexia | 64.0 | 62.1 | 61.1 | 62.1 | 65.0 | 67.6 | 64.1 |
| Frequent vomiting | 11.8 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 11.5 | 11.4 | 13.5 | 11.1 |
| Comorbid conditions | |||||||
| Depression | 26.4 | 25.9 | 27.8 | 27.1 | 25.7 | 26.1 | 26.0 |
| Arthritis | 67.6 | 57.8 | 65.3 | 70.5 | 69.0 | 70.4 | 71.2 |
| 2+ ADLs (0-6 scale) | 70.6 | 66.8 | 67.8 | 70.5 | 73.6 | 71.2 | 72.7 |
| Health care utilization | |||||||
| Median hospital nights in last two years of life (IQR) | 7 (0-20) |
5 (0-19) |
7 (0-21) |
6 (0-20) |
7 (0-21) |
7 (0-20) |
7 (0-20) |
| Nursing home residency at time of death | 28.0 | 28.8 | 29.9 | 29.2 | 26.9 | 29.2 | 24.2 |
| Median hours of informal care received per week in last two years of life (IQR) | 15 (0-93) |
13 (0-75) |
16 (0-90) |
14 (0-88) |
18 (0-106) |
14 (0-111) |
21 (1-103) |
| Highest level of education | |||||||
| Some high school or less | 55.4 | 60.2 | 60.3 | 54.1 | 54.2 | 52.3 | 52.5 |
| High school graduate | 29.4 | 27.8 | 26.2 | 30.2 | 30.3 | 30.4 | 30.8 |
| Some college or more | 15.2 | 12.1 | 13.5 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 17.2 | 16.7 |
| Median household wealth (IQR), $ | 83,000 (8,000-273,000) |
72,000 (7,000-209,000) |
81,000 (8,000-220,000) |
94,000 (8,000-259,000) |
89,000 (3,000-265,000) |
83,000 (6,000-330,000) |
102,000 (8,000-336,000) |
| Median income (IQR), $ | 20,000 (11,000-36,000) |
17,000 (10,000-32,000) |
18,000 (10,000-34,000) |
18,000 (11,000-32,000) |
21,000 (12,000-39,000) |
21,000 (12,000-38,000) |
24,000 (13,000-45,000) |
| Relationship of proxy to decedent | |||||||
| Spouse | 32.9 | 34.0 | 33.7 | 30.3 | 36.2 | 31.8 | 31.3 |
| Son or daughter | 44.8 | 42.9 | 41.9 | 44.0 | 43.7 | 46.5 | 49.0 |
| Other | 22.3 | 23.1 | 24.4 | 25.8 | 20.1 | 21.7 | 19.6 |
| Mean months between decedent's death and proxy's interview (95% CI) | 11.3 (11.1-11.5) |
11.5 (11.1-11.9) |
12.6 (12.1-13.0) |
11.0 (10.5-11.5) |
10.9 (10.4-11.3) |
10.7 (10.2-11.1) |
11.5 (11.1-11.9) |
| Highest spouse level of education (if spouse was proxy) | |||||||
| Some high school or less | 43.4 | 42.4 | 45.4 | 44.5 | 42.2 | 45.3 | 41.0 |
| High school graduate | 37.1 | 41.0 | 36.7 | 39.7 | 38.7 | 33.3 | 33.5 |
| Some college or more | 19.5 | 16.6 | 17.9 | 15.8 | 19.1 | 21.4 | 25.4 |
| Interview conducted in English | 98.3 | 98.4 | 98.2 | 98.4 | 98.2 | 98.3 | 98.1 |
a
Reported values account for complex survey design
b
Percentages are rounded and may not sum to 100%