Table 2.
Baseline Sample Characteristics
| Costa Rica—CRELES Wave 1 (2005) | Mexico—MHAS Wave 1 (2001) | Puerto Rico—PREHCO Wave 1 (2002) | United States—HRS Wave 7 (2004) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prop. | 95% CI | Prop. | 95% CI | Prop. | 95% CI | Prop. | 95% CI | |
| Age (years) | ||||||||
| 65–74 | 0.60 | (0.58–0.62) | 0.59 | (0.56–0.62) | 0.60 | (0.58–0.63) | 0.52 | (0.51–0.54) |
| 75–84 | 0.31 | (0.29–0.33) | 0.29 | (0.27–0.32) | 0.31 | (0.28–0.33) | 0.37 | (0.36–0.38) |
| 85+ | 0.09 | (0.09–0.1) | 0.12 | (0.09–0.15) | 0.09 | (0.08–0.1) | 0.11 | (0.1–0.11) |
| Sex | ||||||||
| Female | 0.53 | (0.51–0.56) | 0.54 | (0.51–0.57) | 0.57 | (0.54–0.59) | 0.57 | (0.56–0.58) |
| Marital status | ||||||||
| Married/cohabiting | 0.55 | (0.53–0.57) | 0.39 | (0.36–0.42) | 0.47 | (0.44–0.49) | 0.57 | (0.56–0.58) |
| Visited doctor in past 12 months | 0.91 | (0.89–0.92) | 0.64 | (0.61–0.67) | 0.88 | (0.87–0.9) | — | |
| Visited doctor in past 24 months | — | — | — | — | 0.95 | (0.95–0.96) | ||
| Ever a smokera | 0.42 | (0.4–0.44) | 0.45 | (0.42–0.48) | 0.34 | (0.31–0.36) | 0.57 | (0.56–0.58) |
| Disability | ||||||||
| Difficulty on 1+ ADLs | 0.16 | (0.14–0.17) | 0.16 | (0.13–0.18) | 0.14 | (0.12–0.16) | 0.17 | (0.16–0.18) |
| NCDs | ||||||||
| Hypertension | 0.50 | (0.48–0.52) | 0.42 | (0.39–0.45) | 0.59 | (0.57–0.62) | 0.59 | (0.58–0.6) |
| Stroke | 0.05 | (0.04–0.06) | 0.04 | (0.03–0.05) | 0.06 | (0.04–0.07) | 0.10 | (0.1–0.11) |
| Cancer | 0.07 | (0.05–0.08) | 0.02 | (0.01–0.02) | 0.07 | (0.05–0.08) | 0.18 | (0.17–0.19) |
| Heart attack/MIb | 0.05 | (0.04–0.06) | 0.04 | (0.03–0.05) | 0.11 | (0.1–0.13) | 0.30 | (0.3–0.31) |
| Diabetes | 0.21 | (0.19–0.22) | 0.17 | (0.14–0.19) | 0.28 | (0.25–0.3) | 0.19 | (0.18–0.19) |
| Arthritis | 0.16 | (0.14–0.18) | 0.26 | (0.24–0.29) | 0.50 | (0.47–0.52) | 0.65 | (0.64–0.66) |
| BMI | ||||||||
| <20 | 0.07 | (0.05–0.08) | 0.08 | (0.06–0.1) | 0.07 | (0.06–0.08) | 0.07 | (0.07–0.08) |
| 20–30 | 0.69 | (0.67–0.72) | 0.76 | (0.73–0.79) | 0.68 | (0.65–0.7) | 0.71 | (0.7–0.72) |
| 30+ | 0.24 | (0.22–0.26) | 0.15 | (0.13–0.18) | 0.25 | (0.23–0.28) | 0.21 | (0.2–0.22) |
| Education | ||||||||
| 0–6 | 0.82 | (0.8–0.84) | 0.89 | (0.86–0.91) | 0.47 | (0.44–0.5) | 0.05 | (0.05–0.06) |
| 7–11 | 0.08 | (0.07–0.09) | 0.08 | (0.06–0.1) | 0.21 | (0.19–0.23) | 0.22 | (0.21–0.23) |
| 12+ | 0.10 | (0.08–0.11) | 0.04 | (0.03–0.05) | 0.32 | (0.3–0.34) | 0.73 | (0.72–0.73) |
| Income | ||||||||
| Public pensionc | 0.63 | (0.61–0.65) | 0.14 | (0.12–0.17) | 0.98 | (0.98–0.99) | 0.99 | (0.99–0.99) |
| Health insurance | ||||||||
| Public | 0.96 | (0.95–0.97) | 0.50 | (0.47–0.53) | 0.84 | (0.82–0.86) | 0.98 | (0.97–0.98) |
| Private | 0.02 | (0.01–0.03) | 0.03 | (0.02–0.04) | 0.14 | (0.12–0.16) | 0.01 | (0.01–0.02) |
| None | 0.02 | (0.02–0.03) | 0.47 | (0.44–0.5) | 0.02 | (0.01–0.02) | 0.01 | (0.01–0.01) |
| Total sample size | 2,480 | 3,530 | 2,880 | 10,492 | ||||
| Proportion proxy respondents | 0.16 | 0.12 | 0.09 | 0.08 | ||||
Notes. All presented results use national-level sample weights.
aIncludes all individuals who report having smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.
bU.S. sample (HRS) also includes wider range of heart conditions; this figure is not directly comparable across samples.
cIn Mexico, this category includes individuals receiving pensions from IMSS, ISSSTE, other public pensions, or U.S. Social Security. In Puerto Rico and the United States, it is comprised of those receiving Social Security. In Costa Rica, it includes all individuals receiving Social Security or government pensions.
ADL = activities of daily living; BMI = body mass index; CI = confidence interval; CRELES = Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study; HRS = Health and Retirement Survey; MI = myocardial infarction; MHAS = Mexican Health and Aging Survey; NCD = noncommunicable disease; PREHCO = Puerto Rican Elderly: Health Conditions; prop. = proportion.