Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population
| Characteristic | Baseline |
|---|---|
| (n = 520) | |
| Age, mean ± SD | 76.7 ± 4.8 |
| Sex, n women (%) | 294 (56.5) |
| Native country | |
| The Netherlands, n (%) | 494 (95.0) |
| Other, n (%) | 26 (5.0) |
| Educational levela | |
| Low, n (%) | 292 (56.5) |
| Middle, n (%) | 205 (39.7) |
| High, n (%) | 20 (3.9) |
| Marital status | |
| Married/Long-term cohabitation, n (%) | 288 (55.4) |
| Widow/Widower/Partner deceased, n (%) | 178 (34.2) |
| Unmarried, n (%) | 54 (10.4) |
| Number of diseases | |
| ≥ 2 diseasesb, n (%) | 240 (46.2) |
| Number of medications | |
| ≥ 4 medicationsb, n (%) | 255 (49.0) |
| Disability | |
| Katz-15c, mean ± SD | 1.4 ± 1.8 |
| Katz ADLc, mean ± SD | 0.3 ± 0.7 |
| ≥ ADL disability, n (%) | 126 (24.3) |
| Cognition | |
| 6-CITd, mean ± SD | 4.5 ± 4.5 |
| Mobility | |
| ≥ 2 falls in the past 12 months, n (%) | 58 (11.2) |
| Mental wellbeing | |
| RAND-36 mental wellbeing subscalee, mean ± SD | 10.4 ± 3.6 |
| Social context | |
| Loneliness | |
| Never, n (%) | 379 (72.9) |
| Sometimes, n (%) | 126 (24.2) |
| Often, n (%) | 15 (2.9) |
| Nobody to help in case of emergency, n (%) | 44 (8.5) |
| Self-perceived health | |
| Excellent, n (%) | 26 (5.0) |
| Very good, n (%) | 48 (9.2) |
| Good, n (%) | 263 (50.6) |
| Reasonable, n (%) | 166 (31.9) |
| Poor, n (%) | 17 (3.3) |
| Quality of lifef, mean ± SD | 7.5 ± 1.0 |
| Care use | |
| Days of hospitalisations in the past year, mean ± SD | 1.4 ± 5.0 |
| Hours/week home care, mean ± SD | 1.0 ± 2.0 |
| Number of caregivers | |
| 1–3, n (%) | 293 (56.5) |
| ≥ 4, n (%) | 39 (7.5) |
ADL activities of daily living
aEducational level: low = primary and lower secondary education, middle = upper secondary education, high = tertiary education
bAccording to GP data
cKATZ-15: range 0-15, the higher the score the more disabilities [31]. KATZ ADL: range 0-6, the higher the score the more disabilities [22]
d6-CIT: range 0-28, a score of 10 and higher is indicative for cognitive problems [32]
eRAND-36 mental wellbeing: range 5-30, the higher the score the worse mental wellbeing [33]
fQuality of life: range 0-10, grade for, the higher the better quality of life [34]