Table 5.
Comparison of participants who completed the study (non-dropout) versus those who had died or were institutionalized or left the study (dropout)
| Items | Non-dropout (N = 113) |
Dropout (N = 71) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years (mean ± SD) | 78.8 ± 11.0 | 82.1 ± 9.3 | 0.04 |
| Gender, n (%) | |||
| Male | 69 (60.5%) | 34 (48.6%) | 0.11 |
| Female | 45 (39.5%) | 36 (51.4%) | |
| BMI, kg/m2 (mean ± SD) | 19.57 ± 4.02 | 19.45 ± 4.10 | 0.86 |
| Household status, n (%) | |||
| Alone | 16 (14%) | 6 (8.6%) | 0.27 |
| Not alone | 98 (86%) | 64 (91.4%) | |
| Marital status, n (%) | |||
| Married | 67 (59.8%) | 38 (54.3%) | 0.13 |
| Widow/Widower | 32 (28.6%) | 28 (40%) | |
| Divorced | 6 (5.4%) | 0 | |
| Single | 7 (6.3%) | 4 (5.7%) | |
| Economic status, n (%) | |||
| With financial support | 17 (15%) | 12 (17.1%) | 0.79 |
| Self-supporting | 75 (66.4%) | 43 (61.4%) | |
| Well-off | 21 (18.6%) | 15 (21.4%) | |
| Visual acuity, n (%) | |||
| Not impaired | 93 (81.6%) | 51 (72.9%) | 0.16 |
| Impaired | 21 (18.4%) | 19 (27.1%) | |
| Hearing ability, n (%) | |||
| Not impaired | 95 (83.3%) | 58 (82.9%) | 0.93 |
| Impaired | 19 (16.7%) | 12 (17.1%) | |
| Communication, n (%) | |||
| Not impaired | 14 (12.6%) | 14 (20.3%) | 0.17 |
| Impaired | 97 (87.4%) | 55 (79.7%) | |
| CCI score (mean ± SD) | 3.0 ± 2.0 | 3.1 ± 2.7 | 0.86 |
| Polypharmacy (≥6 medications), n (%) | |||
| No | 52 (45.6%) | 39 (55.7%) | 0.18 |
| Yes | 62 (54.4%) | 31 (44.3%) | |
| Independence scale of the disabled elderly, n (%) | |||
| Independence | 14 (13.3%) | 2 (2.9%) | 0.06 |
| Pre-bedridden status | 31 (29.5%) | 22 (31.4%) | |
| Bedridden status | 60 (57.1%) | 46 (65.7%) | |
| Barthel Index, score (mean ± SD) | 50.1 ± 34.7 | 46 ± 34.3 | 0.44 |
| Bedsore, n (%) | |||
| No | 98 (86.7%) | 64 (91.4%) | 0.33 |
| Yes | 15 (13.3%) | 6(8.6%) | |
| Denture use | |||
| No | 38 (37.6%) | 24 (35.3%) | 0.76 |
| Yes | 63 (62.4%) | 44 (64.7%) | |
| Feeding intake form | |||
| Oral form | 81 (82.7%) | 49 (86%) | 0.10 |
| Oral form plus tube feeding | 5 (5.1%) | 6 (10.5%) | |
| Tube feeding | 12 (12.2%) | 2 (3.5%) | |
| Dysphagia Severity Scale, n (%) | |||
| No dysphagia | 87 (76.3%) | 56 (80%) | 0.56 |
| With dysphagia | 27 (23.7%) | 14 (20%) | |
| MNA-SF, scores (mean ± SD) | 8.0 ± 2.9 | 7.1 ± 3.1 | 0.07 |
| Serum albumin level, g/dL (mean ± SD) | 3.5 ± 0.6 | 3.4 ± 0.6 | 0.18 |
| Baseline QOL score (self-perceived) | 5.5 ± 2.7 | 6.0 ± 2.2 | 0.21 |
| Baseline QOL score (family-reported) | 5.4 ± 3 | 6.6 ± 1.4 | < 0.01 |