Table 1. Characteristics of the 242 elderly participants.
| Characteristics | Participants |
|---|---|
| mean ± SD | |
| BMI | 21.4 ± 3.9 |
| Age | 69.8±7.4 |
| n (%) | |
| Gender | |
| Male | 111 (45.9) |
| Female | 131 (54.1) |
| Ethnicity | |
| Upper caste | 138 (57.0) |
| Janajati | 77 (31.8) |
| Dalit | 27 (11.2) |
| Religion | |
| Hindu | 181 (74.8) |
| Buddhist | 58 (24.0) |
| Christian | 3 (1.2) |
| Education | |
| Literate | 53 (21.9) |
| Informal | 14 (5.8) |
| Illiterate | 175 (72.3) |
| Marital status | |
| Married | 165 (68.2) |
| Separated | 11 (4.5) |
| Widowed | 66 (27.3) |
| Smoker | |
| Never | 105 (43.6) |
| Current | 93 (38.6) |
| Former | 43 (17.8) |
| Drinker | |
| Never | 168 (69.4) |
| Infrequent | 62 (25.6) |
| Frequent | 12 (5.0) |
Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; BMI, body mass index.