Table 1.

Sample Characteristics by Gender and Ethnicity, Health and Retirement Study (N = 9,825)^a

	Females			Males
	White (n = 3,751)	Black (n = 1,010)	Hispanic (n = 518)	White (n = 3,415)	Black (n = 712)	Hispanic (n = 419)
Mean body mass index (BMI)b	26.9	30.3‡	28.5‡	27.7†	27.7†	28.0
Education
< 12 years	23.3	45.7‡	68.0‡	23.8	47.5‡	63.7‡
≥12 years	76.7	54.3‡	32.0‡	76.2	52.5‡	36.3‡
Age (in years)	61.9	61.6‡	61.5‡	61.8	61.5	61.4
Marital statusb
Married	67.3	37.9‡	57.5‡	81.4†	62.3†‡	77.5†
Divorced/ Separated	12.6	26.4‡	19.2‡	9.2†	17.9†‡	12.1†
Widowed	15.4	26.7‡	16.3	3.3†	7.4†‡	4.2†
Other	4.7	9.0‡	7.0‡	6.1†	12.4†‡	6.2
Retiredb	44.2	45.0	28.2‡	48.5†	48.1	40.5†‡
Total household wealthb
< $43,920	19.1	50.7‡	50.6‡	14.8†	43.6†‡	43.8†‡
$43,920 to $329,131	51.2	44.4‡	41.9‡	52.0	48.5†‡	48.9†
> $329,131	29.7	4.9‡	7.4‡	33.2†	7.9†‡	7.3‡
Self-rated healthb
Fair/poor	19.9	38.1‡	52.8‡	19.1	36.5‡	38.1†‡
Excellent/very good/good	80.1	61.9‡	47.2‡	80.9	63.5‡	61.9†‡
Mean number of health conditionsb	1.42	1.81‡	1.55‡	1.38	1.54†‡	1.22†‡
Smoking statusb
Current smoker	19.6	17.5	14.4‡	20.1	28.3†‡	21.2†
Nonsmoker	80.4	82.5	85.6‡	79.9	71.7†‡	78.8†
Drinking behaviorb
Ever drinks	50.3	31.0‡	26.7‡	63.6†	54.3†‡	57.4†‡
Never drinks	49.7	69.0‡	73.3‡	36.4†	45.7†‡	42.6†‡
Birth cohort
1931–1936	51.5	52.7	45.2‡	52.6	52.7	46.3‡
1937–1941	48.5	47.3	54.8‡	47.4	47.3	53.7‡
Immigrant	4.6	5.0	54.8‡	3.9	5.5	52.5†
Died	12.3	20.8‡	12.5	18.8	29.8‡	20.0
Mean number of missing waves	1.09	1.17	1.56‡	1.49†	1.84†‡	2.15†‡

^aAll indicators dummy coded and estimates can be interpreted as percentages, unless otherwise noted.

^bTime-varying indicators. Indicators are measured at every survey wave, but estimates presented in Table 1 are averaged across survey interval for ease of presentation.

^†Significant (at p < .05) sex differences within ethnicity (reference = female), two-tailed test.

^‡Significant (at p < .05) ethnic differences within sex (reference = White), two-tailed test.