Table 1.
Sample characteristics at baseline interview as a function of alcohol consumption defined by Canadian guidelines
| Non-drinkers | Light to moderate drinkers (≤10 for women and ≤15 drinks/week for men) | Heavy drinkers (≥11 for women and ≥16 drinks/week for men) | Chi-square df = 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 435 (27%) | N = 1111 (68%) | N = 82 (5%) | P-value | |
| Age | ||||
| 65–74 years | 252 (58%) | 745 (67%) | 56 (68%) | 0.003 |
| ≥75 years | 183 (42%) | 366 (33%) | 26 (32%) | |
| Gender | ||||
| Men | 139 (32%) | 505 (45%) | 38 (46%) | <0.001 |
| Women | 296 (68%) | 606 (55%) | 44 (54%) | |
| Education | ||||
| Primary | 61 (15%) | 100 (9%) | 4 (9%) | 0.002 |
| High school/College/University | 350 (85%) | 1052 (91) | 43 (91%) | |
| Income | ||||
| <$55 000 | 422 (97%) | 1091 (98%) | 81 (99%) | 0.29 |
| ≥$55 000 | 13 (3%) | 20 (2%) | 1 (1%) | |
| Married | ||||
| Yes | 249 (57%) | 734 (66%) | 56 (68%) | 0.004 |
| No | 186 (43%) | 377 (34%) | 26 (32%) | |
| Area of residence | ||||
| High deprivation | 261 (60%) | 642 (58%) | 43 (52%) | 0.41 |
| Low/Medium deprivation | 174 (40%) | 469 (42%) | 39 (48%) | |
| Social support | ||||
| 0–2 | 84 (19%) | 992 (89%) | 15 (18%) | <0.0001 |
| 3 | 351 (81%) | 119 (11%) | 67 (82%) | |
| Daily hassles | ||||
| 0–2 | 246 (57%) | 603 (54%) | 48 (59%) | 0.59 |
| 3+ | 189 (43%) | 508 (46%) | 34 (41%) | |
| # of chronic physical disorders | 109 (25%) | 381 (35%) | 30 (37%) | 0.001 |
| 0–2 | 326 (75%) | 730 (65%) | 52 (63%) | |
| ≥3 | ||||
| Functional status index | ||||
| Lowest quintile | 125 (29%) | 195 (18%) | 14 (17%) | <0.0001 |
| Higher quintiles | 310 (71%) | 916 (82%) | 68 (83%) | |
| Depression | ||||
| Yes | 33 (8%) | 49 (4%) | 3 (4%) | 0.03 |
| No | 402 (92%) | 1062 (96%) | 79 (96%) | |
| Anxiety | ||||
| Yes | 67 (15%) | 130 (12%) | 7 (9%) | 0.08 |
| No | 3468(85%) | 981 (88%) | 75 (91%) | |
| Psychotropic drug use | ||||
| Yes | 123 (28%) | 183 (16%) | 18 (22%) | <0.0001 |
| No | 312 (72%) | 928 (84%) | 64 (78%) | |
| Smoking status | ||||
| Never smoker | 199 (46%) | 411 (37%) | 19 (23%) | <0.0001 |
| Past or current smoker | 236 (54%) | 700 (63%) | 63 (77%) | |
| Mean (95% CI) | Pr > F | |||
| Cognitive functioning (MMSE) | 28.5 (28.4, 28.6) | 28.7 (28.6, 28.8) | 28.7 (28.4, 29.0) | 0.04 |
| Exercise (# of time per week) | 3.5 (3.1, 3.9) | 3.6 (3.4, 3.9) | 3.7 (3.0, 4.4) | 0.78 |
| # of ambulatory visits in past year | 9.7 (8.6, 10.8) | 7.9 (7.4, 8.4) | 7.9 (6.3, 9.6) | 0.004 |