Table 1:
Baseline Characteristics of Older Adults Aged ≥60 Years by Rural/Urban Status
| Urban | Rural | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N=17825 | N=4482 | ||
| Age, years | 70.8±0.11 | 70.8±0.2 | 0.80 |
| Female Sex, n (%) | 10097 (55.5) | 2512 (54.1) | 0.07 |
| Race | |||
| White | 13391 (84.9) | 3767 (91.5) | |
| Black | 2964 (9.3) | 573 (5.6) | |
| American Indian/Alaskan | 90 (0.4) | 47 (1.1) | <0.001 |
| Asian | 1117 (4.1) | 33 (0.6) | |
| Native Hawaiian | 68 (0.2) | 6 (0.1) | |
| Other | 195 (1.0) | 56 (1.1) | |
| Marital Status | |||
| Married | 9889 (57.6) | 2533 (61.9) | |
| Widowed | 4166 (22.9) | 1182 (23.3) | |
| Divorced | 2496 (13.5) | 515 (10.2) | <0.001 |
| Separated | 368 (1.4) | 65 (1.1) | |
| Never married | 905 (4.5) | 187 (3.6) | |
| Current Smoker | 2095 (11.6) | 631 (13.9) | 0.004 |
| Education Level, years | 11.7 ± 0.07 | 11.4±0.14 | 0.07 |
| Income Level, $ | 14388.44±362.39 | 11096.73±450.55 | <0.001 |
| Geographic Region | |||
| Northeast | 3271 (21.1) | 436 (13.3) | |
| Midwest | 3493 (20.2) | 1161 (29.8) | <0.001 |
| West | 6465 (36.0) | 2336 (42.7) | |
| South | 4596 (22.7) | 549 (14.1) | |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 27.5±0.06 | 28.0±0.13 | <0.001 |
| % Obese | 5151 (27.6) | 1412 (30.7) | 0.005 |
| Co-Morbidities, n (%) | |||
| Arthritis | 3002 (47.5) | 944 (50.2) | 0.12 |
| Hypertension | 7536 (63.0) | 1828 (65.6) | 0.09 |
| Depression | 4595 (24.2) | 1229(25.5) | 0.25 |
| Chronic Bronchitis | 422 (4.1) | 146 (6.5) | <0.001 |
| Emphysema | 630 (5.7) | 177 (6.8) | 0.10 |
| Diabetes | 2676 (20.1) | 625 (21.4) | 0.28 |
| Myocardial Infarction | 1142 (10.1) | 351 (12.6) | 0.003 |
| Short Form 12 Domain | |||
| Physical Component | 43.4±0.12 | 41.7±0.28 | <0.001 |
| Mental Component | 52.1±0.10 | 51.9±0.20 | 0.33 |
All values represented are means ± standard error, or counts (percents). Values are weighted per analytical protocols.
ADL – activities of daily living; BMI – body mass index; IADL – instrumental activities of daily living; MSA – metropolitan statistical area
MSA is defined as a geographical area with a relatively high population density at its core (>50,000) and close economic ties throughout the area; Urban areas are defined as MSA regions; rural areas are defined as non-MSA regions. Obesity is defined as participants whose BMI exceeds 30.0kg/m2
t-tests compare rural/urban status for continuous variables and chi-square for categorical variables. An ANOVA compares overall differences in categories with >2 levels (race, marital status, and geographic region0.