Table 1.
Demographics, health and HCU characteristics of NICOLA cohort by Loneliness (Threshold variable based on items 1-3) (N = 4,717).
| Lonely | Not lonely | t/Chi | P-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n = 1,916 | n = 2,801 | |||||
| 41% | 59% | |||||
| Gender (n = 4,717) | n | % | n | % | ||
| Male | 822 | 38% | 1,349 | 62% | 12.7 | <0.001** |
| Female | 1,094 | 43% | 1,452 | 57% | ||
| Age group (n = 4,717) | ||||||
| 50–64 | 1,063 | 43% | 1,411 | 57% | 16.2 | <0.001** |
| 65–74 | 545 | 36% | 948 | 64% | ||
| 75+ | 308 | 41% | 442 | 59% | ||
| Education (n = 4,712) | ||||||
| Primary/none | 371 | 40% | 549 | 60% | 0.43 | 0.808 |
| Second level | 845 | 41% | 1,211 | 59% | ||
| Diploma/certificate or higher | 696 | 40% | 1,040 | 60% | ||
| Marital status (n = 4,717) | ||||||
| Married/co-habiting | 1,064 | 32% | 2,254 | 68% | 342.7 | <0.001** |
| Single (never married) | 192 | 57% | 147 | 43% | ||
| Separated/divorced | 299 | 63% | 176 | 37% | ||
| Widowed | 361 | 62% | 224 | 38% | ||
| Healthcare use | ||||||
| GP visits past 12 months [M (SD)] (n = 4,673) | (3.91) | (4.72) | (2.89) | (3.83) | −8.14 | <0.001** |
| ED visits past 12 months [M (SD)] (n = 4,703) | (0.37) | (1.17) | (0.23) | (0.82) | −4.75 | <0.001** |
| ED visit (at least one) (n = 895/4,717) | 423 | 47% | 472 | 53% | 20.2 | <0.001** |
| Doctor diagnosed chronic condition (n = 3,787/4,710) | 1,609 | 42% | 2,178 | 58% | 28.1 | <0.001** |
| Pain (“often troubled with”) (n = 2,139/4,711) | 1,047 | 49% | 1,092 | 51% | 112.4 | <0.001** |
| Fall(s) (in past year) (n = 951/4,714) | 500 | 53% | 451 | 47% | 70.3 | <0.001** |
| Waist cm [M (SD)] (n = 2,973) | (96.3) | (14.2) | (94.8) | (13.6) | −2.73 | 0.006* |
| BMI [M (SD)] (n = 2,983) | (29.2) | (5.36) | (28.6) | (4.69) | −2.89 | 0.004* |
| CES-D depressive symptoms (n = 2,520) | ||||||
| Severe (16+) | 240 | 75% | 79 | 25% | 346.2 | <0.001** |
| Moderate (8–15) | 298 | 54% | 252 | 46% | ||
| None/mild (7 or less) | 431 | 26% | 1,220 | 74% | ||
| Alcohol consumption (n = 4,712) | ||||||
| Hardly drink/do not drink | 984 | 43% | 1,300 | 57% | 11.7 | 0.008* |
| Drink a little | 350 | 38% | 568 | 62% | ||
| Drink a moderate amount | 507 | 38% | 825 | 62% | ||
| Drink a lot/heavily | 73 | 41% | 105 | 60% | ||
| Smoking (n = 4,714) | ||||||
| Current | 313 | 54% | 264 | 46% | 52.5 | <0.001** |
| Former | 689 | 40% | 1,035 | 60% | ||
| Never | 913 | 38% | 1,500 | 62% | ||
| Days of moderate exercise in past week (n = 4,700) | ||||||
| 0 days | 1,259 | 43% | 1,698 | 57% | 15.6 | 0.001* |
| 1–2 days | 271 | 36% | 482 | 64% | ||
| 3–4 days | 155 | 36% | 278 | 64% | ||
| 5–7 days | 223 | 40% | 334 | 60% | ||
* < .05; ** < .001.