Table 1. Sample Characteristics of Participants Aged 65 or Older, National Health Interview Survey, 1997–2011a .
| Characteristic | All | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 83,338 (100) | 31,988 (42.8) | 51,350 (57.2) |
| Education | |||
| Less than high school | 25,979 (27.5) | 9,688 (26.6) | 16,291 (28.2) |
| High school or equivalent | 26,710 (33.2) | 8,965 (28.9) | 17,745 (36.4) |
| More than high school | 30,649 (39.3) | 13,335 (44.6) | 17,314 (35.4) |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| Hispanic | 7,778 (6.3) | 3,048 (6.3) | 4,730 (6.3) |
| Non-Hispanic white | 63,025 (82.5) | 24,283 (83.0) | 38,742 (82.0) |
| Black | 9,933 (8.2) | 3,572 (7.4) | 6,361 (8.7) |
| Other | 2,602 (3.1) | 1,085 (3.3) | 1,517 (2.9) |
| Smoking status | |||
| Never | 43,331 (50.4) | 11,121 (34.9) | 32,210 (62.1) |
| Former | 31,554 (40.0) | 17,170 (54.9) | 14,384 (28.9) |
| Current | 8,453 (9.6) | 3,697 (10.2) | 4,756 (9.1) |
| Drinking status | |||
| Never | 27,059 (30.1) | 5,590 (16.9) | 21,469 (40.0) |
| Former | 21,905 (25.9) | 9,896 (29.7) | 12,009 (23.0) |
| Current light | 30,983 (39.6) | 13,861 (45.2) | 17,122 (35.4) |
| Current heavy | 3,391 (4.4) | 2,641 (8.2) | 750 (1.6) |
| Marital status | |||
| Married | 34,368 (56.0) | 19,321 (73.6) | 15,047 (42.7) |
| Living with partner | 792 (1.3) | 474 (1.8) | 318 (0.9) |
| Never married | 4,198 (3.6) | 1,758 (3.5) | 2,440 (3.7) |
| Widowed | 33,406 (30.3) | 6,405 (13.3) | 27,001 (43.0) |
| Divorced/separated | 10,414 (8.9) | 3,975 (7.8) | 6,439 (9.7) |
| Employment/occupation | |||
| Unemployed/retired | 73,138 (87.1) | 26,942 (83.3) | 46,196 (89.9) |
| White collar | 6,115 (7.9) | 2,693 (9.3) | 3,422 (6.9) |
| Service | 2,057 (2.4) | 737 (2.2) | 1,320 (2.4) |
| Farmer | 281 (0.3) | 230 (0.6) | 51 (0.1) |
| Blue collar | 1,747 (2.3) | 1,386 (4.5) | 361 (0.7) |
| HALex score, mean (range) | 0.74 (0.74–0.74) | 0.75 (0.75–0.75) | 0.73 (0.72–0.73) |
| Age, mean (range) y | 74.6 (74.5–74.7) | 74 (73.9–74.1) | 75.1 (75–75.1) |
| Comorbidities, mean (range), n | 1.40 (1.39–1.41) | 1.48 (1.47–1.50) | 1.34 (1.33–1.35) |
Abbreviations: HALex, Health and Activities Limitation Index; NHIS, National Health Interview Survey.
a
All values are frequency (weighted percentage), unless otherwise indicated.