Table 1. Characteristics of the Study Participantsa.
| Characteristic | Total | Participants With Loneliness Data | Noncentenarians | Centenarians | Lonely |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | |||||
| 65-69 | 5952 (8.1) | 5948 | NA | NA | 1354 (22.8) |
| 70-74 | 8898 (12.1) | 8895 | NA | NA | 1789 (20.1) |
| 75-79 | 13 360 (18.2) | 13 355 | NA | NA | 2539 (19.0) |
| 80-84 | 17 298 (23.6) | 17 284 | NA | NA | 3359 (19.4) |
| 85-89 | 16 856 (23.0) | 16 850 | NA | NA | 3353 (19.9) |
| 90-94 | 8807 (23.0) | 8804 | NA | NA | 1806 (20.5) |
| 95-99 | 1924 (2.6) | 1923 | NA | NA | 335 (17.4) |
| 100-109 | 191 (0.3) | 191 | NA | NA | 28 (14.7) |
| Mean (range) | 81.4 (65-109) | 81.4 (65-109) | 81.4 (65-99) | 100.9 (100-109) | NA |
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 31 576 (43.1) | 31 557 | 31 502 (43.2) | 55 (28.8) | 5435(17.2) |
| Female | 41 641 (56.9) | 41 624 | 41 488 (56.8) | 136 (71.2) | 9112 (21.9) |
| Missing | 69 | 69 | NA | NA | NA |
| Race/ethnicity | |||||
| European | 63 203 (86.3) | 63 178 | 63 001 (86.3) | 177 (92.7) | 12 481 (19.8) |
| Māori | 4454 (6.1) | 4453 | 4448 (6.1) | 5 (2.6) | 914 (20.5) |
| Pacific | 2607 (3.6) | 2604 | 2602 (3.6) | 2 (1.0) | 472 (18.1) |
| Asian | 2228 (3.0) | 2221 | 2216 (3.0) | 5 (2.6) | 496 (22.3) |
| Other (including MELAA) | 741 (1.0) | 741 | 739 (1.0) | 2 (1.0) | 190 (25.6) |
| Missing | 53 | 53 | NA | NA | NA |
| Season | |||||
| Summer | 15 440 (21.0) | 15 432 | 15 385 (21.1) | 47 (24.6) | 3004 (19.5) |
| Autumn | 18 639 (25.4) | 18 629 | 18 587 (25.4) | 42 (22.0) | 3821 (20.5) |
| Winter | 19 951 (27.2) | 19 939 | 19 886 (27.2) | 53 (27.7) | 3904 (19.6) |
| Spring | 19 256 (26.3) | 19 250 | 19 201 (26.3) | 49 (25.7) | 3834 (19.9) |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | NA | NA | NA |
| Marital status | |||||
| Married, civil union, or de facto committed relationship | 31 092 (42.5) | 31 073 | 31 060 (42.6) | 13 (6.8) | 3933 (12.7) |
| Never married | 3754 (5.1) | 3751 | 3745 (5.1) | 6 (3.1) | 663 (17.7) |
| Widowed | 31 737 (43.4) | 31 724 | 31 554 (43.2) | 170 (89.0) | 8293 (26.1) |
| Separated/divorced | 5760 (7.9) | 5759 | 5758 (7.9) | 1 (0.5) | 1515 (26.3) |
| Other | 843 (1.2) | 843 | 842 (1.2) | 1 (0.5) | 140 (16.6) |
| Missing | 100 | 100 | NA | NA | NA |
| Family support | |||||
| No | 7867 (10.7) | 7866 | 7854 (10.8) | 12 (6.3) | 2061 (26.2) |
| Yes | 65 409 (89.3) | 65 375 | 65 196 (89.2) | 179 (93.7) | 12 501 (19.1) |
| Missing | 10 | 9 | NA | NA | NA |
| Living arrangements | |||||
| Alone | 32 061 (43.7) | 32 052 | 31 943 (43.7) | 109 (57.1) | 8926 (27.8) |
| With partner | 28 357 (38.7) | 28 342 | 28 333 (38.8) | 9 (4.7) | 3138 (11.1) |
| With family | 10 047 (13.7) | 10 039 | 9976 (13.7) | 63 (33.0) | 2092 (20.8) |
| With others | 2821 (3.8) | 2817 | 2807 (3.8) | 10 (5.2) | 407 (14.4) |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | NA | NA | NA |
| Depression | |||||
| None, DRS score of 0 | 43 624 (59.5) | 43 589 | 43 455 (59.5) | 134 (70.2) | 5902 (13.5) |
| Mild-moderate, DRS scores of 1-7 | 28 687 (39.1) | 28 687 | 28 633 (39.2) | 54 (28.3) | 8218 (28.6) |
| Moderate-severe, DRS scores of 8-14 | 972 (1.3) | 971 | 968 (1.3) | 3 (1.6) | 442 (45.5) |
| Missing | 3 | 3 | NA | NA | NA |
Abbreviations: DRS, Depression Rating Scale; MELAA, Middle Eastern, Latin American, African; NA, not applicable.
a
Data are presented as number (percentage) of participants unless otherwise indicated. All percentages are column percentages except for percentages for lonely, which indicates the percentage of respondents in that group who were lonely.