Table 3. Clinical, functional and social factors of the study sample.
| Variable and variable categories | Total population | Without multimorbidity | With multimorbidity |
|---|---|---|---|
| (<2 chronic conditions) | (≥2 chronic conditions) | ||
| N (%)* | N (%)* | N (%)* | |
| Number of symptoms | |||
| 0 | 27 505 (41.05) | 19 582 (57.99) | 7 914 (23.83) |
| 1 | 20 812 (31.06) | 9 955 (29.48) | 10 846 (32.66) |
| 2 | 10 865 (16.22) | 3 210 (9.51) | 7 651 (23.04) |
| 3+ | 7 821 (11.67) | 1 019 (3.02) | 6 798 (20.47) |
| Polypharmacy | |||
| 0–4 | 52 062 (77.70) | 31 798 (94.15) | 20 245 (60.97) |
| ≥5 | 14 943 (22.30) | 1 975 (5.85) | 12 959 (39.03) |
| Unmet needs in the last 12 months | |||
| Due to cost | 3 164 (4.72) | 1 068 (3.16) | 2 095 (6.31) |
| yes | |||
| no | 63 809 (95.28) | 32 689 (96.84) | 31 091 (93.69) |
| Due to long waiting time | 6 351 (9.48) | 2 239 (6.63) | 4 111 (12.39) |
| yes | |||
| no | 60 626 (90.52) | 31 516 (93.37) | 29 081 (87.61) |
| Postponed dentist visit | 5 432 (8.11) | 2 253 (6.67) | 3 177 (9.57) |
| yes | |||
| no | 61 566 (91.89) | 31 514 (93.33) | 30 024 (90.43) |
| Times seen or talked to a doctor or qualified nurse in the last 12 months | |||
| 0 | 7 051 (10.62) | 5 733 (17.08) | 1 316 (4.01) |
| 1 or 2 | 15 098 (22.74) | 10 703 (31.89) | 4 390 (13.38) |
| 3 to 5 | 19 043 (28.69) | 9 595 (28.59) | 9 441 (28.78) |
| 6 to 11 | 13 529 (20.38) | 4 728 (14.09) | 8 795 (26.81) |
| ≥12 | 11 665 (17.57) | 2 801 (8.35) | 8 862 (27.01) |
| Hospital overnight stay in the last 12 months | |||
| yes | 10 299 (15.37) | 3 085 (9.13) | 7 210 (21.71) |
| no | 56 708 (84.63) | 30 688 (90.87) | 25 995 (78.29) |
| Social network size | |||
| 0 | 1 614 (2.70) | 793 (2.63) | 796 (2.69) |
| 1 | 15 078 (25.19) | 7 976 (26.44) | 7 071 (23.88) |
| 2 | 15 506 (25.91) | 7 724 (25.60) | 7 770 (26.24) |
| 3 | 12 874 (21.51) | 6 289 (20.85) | 6 579 (22.22) |
| 4+ | 14 780 (24.69) | 7 384 (24.48) | 7 394 (24.97) |
| Loneliness (R-UCLA scale 3–9) | |||
| not lonely | 35 771 (55.88) | 20 395 (62.24) | 15 367 (49.21) |
| 4 | 12 084 (18.88) | 6 053 (18.47) | 6 027 (19.30) |
| 5 | 6 805 (10.63) | 2 944 (8.98) | 3 860 (12.36) |
| 6 | 5 116 (7.99) | 2 072 (6.32) | 3 042 (9.74) |
| 7 | 2 066 (3.23) | 703 (2.15) | 1 361 (4.36) |
| 8 | 980 (1.53) | 318 (0.97) | 662 (2.12) |
| very lonely | 1 193 (1.86) | 282 (0.86) | 909 (2.91) |
| Received help with ADL/IADL from someone outside the household in the last 12 months | |||
| yes | 15 074 (22.49) | 5 470 (16.20) | 9 591 (28.89) |
| no | 51 956 (77.51) | 28 293 (83.80) | 23 603 (71.11) |
| Given help with ADL/IADL to someone outside the household in the last 12 months | |||
| yes | 17 954 (26.80) | 10 144 (30.05) | 7 808 (23.52) |
| no | 49 029 (73.20) | 23 613 (69.95) | 25 384 (76.48) |
| Given help with personal care to someone inside the household in the last 12 months | |||
| yes | 4 348 (6.50) | 1 772 (5.26) | 2 574 (7.77) |
| no | 62 514 (93.50) | 31 913 (94.74) | 30 537 (92.23) |
| Financial interaction in the last 12 months | |||
| yes | 20 951 (31.62) | 11 015 (33.07) | 9 909 (30.14) |
| no | 45 300 (68.38) | 22 291 (66.93) | 22 963 (69.86) |
| Participation in social activities in the last 12 months | |||
| yes | 25 319 (39.73) | 14 528 (44.49) | 10 783 (34.73) |
| no | 38 406 (60.27) | 18 129 (55.51) | 20 268 (65.27) |
| Having difficulties with ADL or IADL (and expected to last ≥3 months) | |||
| yes | 14 748 (22.00) | 3 398 (10.06) | 11 337 (34.12) |
| no | 52 286 (78.00) | 30 386 (89.94) | 21 885 (65.88) |
*percentages do not include missing values.
ADL = Activities of Daily Living.
IADL = Instrumental Activities of Daily Living.