Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of individuals stratified by group (n = 414)
| N | Total (n = 414) | Intervention group (58.7%) (n = 243) | Control group (41.3%) (n = 171) | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dementia patients | ||||||
| Age in years | Total | 414 | 81.4 (7.7) | 81.7 (7.9) | 81.0 (7.4) | 0.26a |
| Sex | Female | 414 | 259 (62.6%) | 152 (62.6%) | 107 (62.6%) | 1.00b |
| Education | Low (≤ 9 years) | 413 | 317 (76.8%) | 185 (76.5%) | 132 (77.2%) | 0.63a |
| Middle (10–11 years) | 51 (12.3%) | 28 (11.6%) | 23 (13.5%) | |||
| High (≥ 12 years) | 45 (10.9%) | 29 (12.0%) | 16 (9.4%) | |||
| Marital status | Married | 414 | 169 (40.8%) | 99 (40.7%) | 70 (40.9%) | 0.96b |
| Widowed | 221 (53.4%) | 129 (53.1%) | 92 (53.8%) | |||
| Divorced | 12 (2.9%) | 7 (2.9%) | 5 (2.9%) | |||
| Single | 12 (2.9%) | 8 (3.3%) | 4 (2.3%) | |||
| Cognitive impairment (MMSE) | Total | 414 | 19.5 (4.7) | 19.5 (4.7) | 19.4 (4.8) | 0.68a |
| 24–30 (MCI) | 89 (21.4%) | 53 (21.8%) | 36 (21.1%) | 0.83b | ||
| 18–23 (mild dementia) | 170 (41.1%) | 102 (42.0%) | 68 (39.8%) | |||
| 10–17 (moderate dementia) | 155 (37.4%) | 88 (36.2%) | 67 (39.2%) | |||
| Activities of daily living (ETAM) | Total | 414 | 17.4 (7.2) | 17.5 (6.9) | 17.2 (7.4) | 0.71a |
| Care level | None | 414 | 20 (4.8%) | 8 (3.3%) | 12 (7.0%) | 0.27b |
| Limited abilities in ADLs | 46 (11.1%) | 28 (11.5%) | 18 (10.5%) | |||
| 1 (low) | 218 (52.7%) | 136 (56.0%) | 82 (48.0%) | |||
| 2 (middle) | 126 (30.4%) | 69 (28.4%) | 57 (33.3%) | |||
| 3 (high) | 4 (1.0%) | 2 (0.8%) | 2 (1.2%) | |||
| Antidementia drugs | Total | 122 (2.5%) | 72 (29.8%) | 50 (29.2%) | 0.91a | |
| Social behavior (NOSGER) | Total | 414 | 15.6 (4.4) | 15.5 (4.3) | 15.7 (4.5) | 0.48a |
| Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPI-Q) | Total | 412 | 5.4 (2.7) | 5.3 (2.7) | 5.4 (2.8) | 0.83a |
| Caregivers | ||||||
| Age in years | Total | 414 | 59.6 (11.6) | 59.5 (11.7) | 59.7 (11.4) | 0.76a |
| Sex | Female | 414 | 303 (73.2%) | 174 (71.6%) | 129 (75.4%) | 0.39b |
| Education | Low | 414 | 166 (40.1%) | 96 (39.5%) | 70 (40.9%) | 0.36a |
| Middle | 149 (36.0%) | 83 (34.2%) | 66 (38.6%) | |||
| High | 99 (23.9%) | 64 (26.3%) | 35 (20.5) | |||
| Employment status | Employed | 414 | 226 (54.6%) | 133 (54.7%) | 93 (54.4%) | 0.94b |
| Marital status | Married/long-term partnership | 414 | 326 (78.4%) | 187 (77.0%) | 139 (81.3%) | 0.04b |
| Widowed | 15 (3.6%) | 12 (4.9%) | 3 (1.8%) | |||
| Divorced | 38 (9.2%) | 18 (7.4%) | 20 (11.7%) | |||
| Single | 35 (8.5%) | 26 (10.7%) | 9 (5.3%) | |||
| Relationship to person cared for | Spouse | 414 | 112 (27.1%) | 63 (25.9%) | 49 (28.7%) | 0.54b |
| Daughter/son (in law) | 277 (67.0%) | 163 (67.1%) | 114 (66.7%) | |||
| Other | 25 (6.0%) | 17 (7.0%) | 8 (4.7%) | |||
| Caregiver burden (BSFC-s) | 414 | 12.7 (8.1) | 12.2 (8.2) | 13.4 (7.8) | 0.08a | |
| Care status | ||||||
| Main caregiver | Yes | 414 | 365 (88.2%) | 210 (86.4%) | 155 (90.6%) | 0.19b |
| Main caregiver = only informal caregiver | Yes | 414 | 186 (44.9%) | 110 (45.3%) | 76 (44.4%) | 0.64b |
| Living together in same home | Yes | 414 | 253 (61.1%) | 139 (57.2%) | 114 (66.7%) | 0.05b |
| Duration of informal care in months | Total | 413 | 59.8 (51.0) | 58.7 (48.3) | 61.2 (54.6) | 0.79a |
| No. of visits/week to DCC within first month | Total | 414 | 2.27 (1.3) | 2.29 (1.3) | 2.25 (1.2) | 1.00a |
| Informal care time in hours per day | Total | 414 | 3.2 (2.0) | 3.1 (2.0) | 3.3 (2.1) | 0.40a |
MMSE Mini-Mental Status Examination, MCI mild cognitive impairment, ETAM Erlangen Test of Activities of Daily Living in Persons with Mild Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment, ADLs activities of daily living, NOSGER Nurses’ Observation Scale for Geriatric Patients, social behavior subscale, NPI-Q Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (number of symptoms), BSFC-s Burden Scale for Family Caregivers, short version, DCC day care center
Bold numbers: significant at p ≤ 0.05
Data presented as n (%)/mean (standard deviation) | any discrepancies in percentages due to rounding
aBased on Mann–Whitney U test, bbased on Pearson’s Chi square test