Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics for Survival to Age 80 Years and Older by Veteran Status, n = 68,153
| Characteristic | Veteran | Non-Veteran | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) of women | 2,279 (3.3) | 65,874 (96.7) | |
| Age, years, mean ( SD ) | 71.5 (4.3) | 68.8 (4.3) | <.0001 |
| Race/ethnicity, n (%) | <.0001 | ||
| White | 2,093 (92.3) | 57,296 (87.2) | |
| Black or African American | 92 (4.1) | 4,398 (6.7) | |
| Hispanic/Latina | 32 (1.4) | 1,456 (2.2) | |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 17 (0.8) | 1,577 (2.4) | |
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 8 (0.4) | 233 (0.4) | |
| Other | 25 (1.1) | 732 (1.1) | |
| Education, n (%) | <.0001 | ||
| High school or less | 240 (10.6) | 15,967 (24.4) | |
| Some college | 930 (41.0) | 24,990 (38.1) | |
| College graduate | 1,099 (48.4) | 24,566 (37.5) | |
| Family income, n (%) | .1 | ||
| <$50,000 | 1,553 (72.2) | 43,204 (70.6) | |
| $50,000 or more | 597 (27.8) | 17,995 (29.4) | |
| Marital status, n (%) | <.0001 | ||
| Married/living as married | 1,046 (46.0) | 38,221 (58.2) | |
| Divorced/separated | 356 (15.7) | 8,348 (12.7) | |
| Widowed | 649 (28.6) | 16,593 (25.3) | |
| Never married | 222 (9.8) | 2,509 (3.8) | |
| Hormone therapy use, n (%) | 983 (43.7) | 29,534 (45.1) | .19 |
| Smoking behavior, n (%) | <.0001 | ||
| Never smoked | 1,023 (45.9) | 33,923 (52.3) | |
| Past smoker | 1,073 (48.1) | 27,584 (42.5) | |
| Current smoker | 135 (6.1) | 3,406 (5.3) | |
| Alcohol intake, n (%) | <.0001 | ||
| Non drinker | 142 (6.3) | 7,622 (11.7) | |
| Past drinker | 461 (20.4) | 12,247 (18.7) | |
| <1 drink/week | 723 (32.0) | 20,762 (31.8) | |
| ≥1 drink/week | 931 (41.3) | 24,741 (37.9) | |
| Physical Activity, MET-hours per week, mean ( SD ) | 13.6 (13.7) | 12.8 (13.5) | .003 |
| Depression, n (%) | 154 (6.9) | 5,568 (8.7) | .003 |
| Weight, kg, mean ( SD ) | 71.2 (15.4) | 71.7 (15.8) | .09 |
| BMI, kg/m 2 , mean ( SD ) | 27.3 (5.4) | 27.6 (5.6) | .008 |
| BMI category, n (%) | .02 | ||
| Underweight | 29 (1.3) | 633 (1.0) | |
| Normal | 826 (36.6) | 23,049 (35.3) | |
| Overweight | 841 (37.3) | 23,631 (36.2) | |
| Obese | 560 (24.8) | 17,977 (27.5) | |
| Waist circumference, cm, mean ( SD ) | 86.4 (13.2) | 86.3 (13.2) | .74 |
Note: BMI = body mass index; MET = metabolic equivalent.