Table 1.
Characteristics of participants
| Baseline characteristics | Control, n/N (%), N = 29d | Intervention, n/N (%), N = 25d |
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Age, mean (SD) | 68 (10) | 69 (11) |
| Female | 11/29 (38) | 10/25 (40) |
| Australian | 20/29 (69) | 20/25 (80) |
| Married/with partner | 20/29 (69) | 12/25 (48) |
| Live independently | 7/28 (25) | 9/25 (36) |
| Own home or unit | 25/27 (93) | 22/24 (92) |
| Retired | 17/27 (63) | 14/24 (58) |
| University educated | 9/28 (32) | 8/24 (33) |
| Preference for electronic messages | ||
| Preferred SMS communication | 12/29 (41) | 14/25 (56) |
| Use of health services and private health insurance status | ||
| Private health insurance | 19/29 (66) | 18/25 (72) |
| Hospital and extras cover | 13/19 (68) | 13/18 (72) |
| Use community services | 3/29 (10) | 8/25 (32) |
| Allied care services in last 4 weeks | 5/29 (17) | 5/23 (22) |
| Self-reported medical history | ||
| Hypercholesterolaemia | 16/28 (57) | 15/24 (63) |
| Heart attack | 4/26 (15) | 5/24 (21) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 7/26 (27) | 10/24 (42) |
| Hypertension | 21/29 (72) | 15/24 (63) |
| Sleep apnoea | 3/26 (12) | 4/24 (17) |
| Respiratory problems | 3/26 (12) | 3/24 (13) |
| Diabetes | 6/28 (21) | 4/24 (17) |
| Arthritis | 11/25 (44) | 11/24 (46) |
| Depression | 4/26 (15) | 6/24 (25) |
| Anxiety | 5/26 (19) | 3/24 (13) |
| Cancer | 4/26 (15) | 1/23 (4) |
| Other illness | 3/23 (13) | 6/23 (26) |
| Lifestyle characteristics | ||
| Smokinga | ||
| Current smoker | 1/27 (4) | 1/25 (4) |
| Past smoker | 14/27 (52) | 9/25 (36) |
| Physically activeb | 9/16 (56) | 15/17 (88)* |
| Alcohol consumption | 21/28 (75) | 17/25 (68) |
| Risky drinkingc | 4/21 (19) | 4/16 (25) |
| Healthy eating | ||
| Advised to change diet | 6/29 (21) | 9/25 (36) |
| > 5 servings of vegetables daily | 1/29 (3) | 2/23 (9) |
| > 2 servings of fruit daily | 13/29 (45) | 15/23 (65) |
| Independent | 20/29 (69) | 19/25 (76) |
Independent: none to slight disability classified using the modified Rankin Scale 0–1 scores
SD standard deviation, SMS short message service
aSelf-report of current smoking status
bUndertaking > 20 min of vigorous intensity physical activity ≥ 3 times per week
cRisky drinking is defined as ≥ 2 drinks per day for women and ≥ 4 drinks per day for men
dFor variables with missing observations, the denominator is less than the total number for each intervention group
*Statistical significance p < 0.05