Table 1.
Weighted sample descriptives; advance care planning among midlife and older adults.
| Outcomes | Percent |
|---|---|
| Formal ACP (Power of Attorney and/or Advance Directive) | 44.50% |
| Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care | 39.03% |
| Advance Directive or Living Will | 37.38% |
| Informal ACP (ever had conversations regarding care preferences for serious illness or EOL) | 64.63% |
| Either informal and/or formal ACP | 70.00% |
| Demographics | |
| Race and ethnicity | |
| White non-Hispanic | 70.04% |
| Black non-Hispanic | 9.29% |
| Other non-Hispanic | 4.11% |
| Hispanic | 16.56% |
| Female (versus Male) | 52.71% |
| Ages 55-64 (versus 65-74) | 58.75% |
| Marital status | |
| Married/partnered | 65.80% |
| Divorced/separated | 19.85% |
| Widowed | 5.92% |
| Single and never married | 8.44% |
| Employment | |
| Currently working | 44.94% |
| Disabled | 10.48% |
| Retired | 36.87% |
| Unemployed, other | 7.71% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more | 32.62% |
| Individual factors | |
| Medical occupation - self | 9.80% |
| Confidence in ACP | |
| Not at all confident | 6.30% |
| A little confident | 17.92% |
| Somewhat confident | 40.47% |
| Very confident | 29.07% |
| Extremely confident | 6.23% |
| Worry about health | 23.97% |
| Self-rated health | |
| Poor | 3.95% |
| Fair | 14.47% |
| Good | 34.27% |
| Very good | 39.22% |
| Excellent | 8.09% |
| Death avoidance (push away thoughts about death) | 37.56% |
| Life threatening Illness - Self | 9.15% |
| Motivation for ACP - EOL care concordant with preferences | 62.93% |
| Motivation for ACP - Religious or spiritual reasons | 19.74% |
| Motivation for ACP - Reduce suffering at EOL | 54.99% |
| Interpersonal factors | |
| Medical occupation - family | 30.11% |
| Satisfied with personal relationships | 73.25% |
| Other persons’ discomfort is a barrier to ACP conversations | 23.57% |
| Life threatening Illness - Family member | 56.44% |
| Designated as health care decision-maker for someone else | 33.26% |
| Served as medical decision maker for someone else | 35.63% |
| One or more negative EOL stories in personal network | 50.43% |
| Motivation for ACP - Ease decision making for others at EOL | 85.21% |
| Motivation for ACP - Reduce financial costs at EOL | 44.06% |
| Health care factors | |
| Health care provider ever brought up ACP | 28.17% |
| Usual source of care - Provider’s office/clinic | 92.61% |