Table 1.
Descriptive Statistics of Baseline Study Population by Racial/Ethnic Group in the Health and Retirement Study From 1998 to 2004 and 2004–2010
| Period 1: 1998–2004 (unweighted N = 8,920) | Period 2: 2004–2010 (unweighted N = 7,224) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N = 6,696 | N = 1,426 | N = 390 | N = 408 | N = 8,920 | N = 5,261 | N = 1,148 | N = 452 | N = 363 | N = 7,224 | |
| NHW | NHB | HE | HS | Total | NHW | NHB | HE | HS | Total | |
| Gender (%)1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| Male | 49.8 (0.4) | 38.4 (0.8) | 47.9 (1.7) | 43.3 (1.6) | 47.5 (0.4) | 48.3 (0.6) | 38.1 (1.1) | 48.6 (2.3) | 46.5 (2.4) | 46.5 (0.5) |
| Female | 50.2 (0.4) | 61.6 (0.8) | 52.1 (1.7) | 56.7 (1.6) | 52.5 (0.4) | 51.7 (0.6) | 61.9 (1.1) | 51.4 (2.3) | 53.5 (2.4) | 53.5 (0.5) |
| Marital status (%)1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| Married/partnered | 80.6 (0.6) | 56.7 (1.9) | 73.5 (1.9) | 77.2 (2.0) | 76.2 (0.6) | 78.5 (0.6) | 54.9 (1.7) | 68.7 (2.0) | 75.2 (2.3) | 73.8 (0.6) |
| Separated/divorced | 10.7 (0.4) | 23.1 (1.2) | 16.5 (1.8) | 11.9 (1.5) | 13.1 (0.4) | 12.6 (0.5) | 25.4 (1.4) | 20.2 (2.0) | 12.9 (1.7) | 15.2 (0.5) |
| Widow/never married/spouse Abs. | 8.7 (0.4) | 20.2 (1.3) | 10.1 (1.4) | 10.9 (1.5) | 10.7 (0.4) | 8.8 (0.4) | 19.7 (1.2) | 11.1 (1.3) | 11.9 (1.8) | 11.0 (0.3) |
| Income in tertiles (%)1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| First—Bottom | 17.3 (0.8) | 42.5 (1.9) | 33.0 (2.5) | 60.0 (3.2) | 23.9 (0.9) | 16.8 (0.8) | 38.8 (1.7) | 34.9 (3.0) | 56.6 (4.1) | 23.5 (0.9) |
| Second—Middle | 30.6 (0.7) | 31.1 (1.5) | 39.2 (3.1) | 31.5 (3.7) | 31.0 (0.6) | 29.1 (1.1) | 29.5 (1.4) | 29.7 (3.2) | 35.7 (3.3) | 29.5 (0.8) |
| Third—Top | 52.2 (1.2) | 26.4 (1.8) | 27.8 (3.0) | 8.6 (1.8) | 45.0 (1.2) | 54.1 (1.2) | 31.7 (1.4) | 35.4 (3.9) | 7.6 (1.7) | 47.0 (1.1) |
| Wealth in tertiles (%)1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| First—Bottom | 23.7 (0.9) | 61.8 (2.3) | 47.4 (2.3) | 73.2 (2.7) | 33.2 (1.1) | 25.2 (1.0) | 60.0 (1.8) | 48.0 (3.8) | 66.3 (3.9) | 34.4 (1.2) |
| Second—Middle | 35.3 (1.0) | 29.1 (1.6) | 37.3 (2.7) | 22.7 (2.5) | 33.8 (0.9) | 35.0 (0.9) | 28.3 (1.5) | 33.2 (3.0) | 26.0 (3.1) | 33.3 (0.9) |
| Third—Top | 41.0 (1.2) | 9.1 (1.2) | 15.4 (3.0) | 4.2 (1.3) | 33.0 (1.0) | 39.9 (1.3) | 11.7 (1.1) | 18.7 (2.7) | 7.7 (1.6) | 32.3 (1.1) |
| Insurance plan (%)1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| No insurance plan | 24.6 (0.8) | 40.5 (2.2) | 38.8 (3.0) | 71.7 (2.8) | 29.8 (1.0) | 17.3 (0.6) | 37.2 (1.7) | 38.4 (3.3) | 60.6 (4.1) | 24.0 (0.9) |
| One or more insurance plan | 75.4 (0.8) | 59.5 (2.2) | 61.2 (3.0) | 28.3 (2.8) | 70.2 (1.0) | 82.7 (0.6) | 62.8 (1.7) | 61.6 (3.3) | 39.4 (4.1) | 76.0 (0.9) |
| Self-reported health status (%)1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| Excellent/very good/ good | 78.2 (0.7) | 60.0 (1.8) | 63.2 (2.4) | 47.4 (2.1) | 73.2 (0.8) | 79.6 (0.6) | 61.6 (1.8) | 61.2 (2.6) | 44.6 (2.8) | 73.8 (0.7) |
| Fair/poor | 21.8 (0.7) | 40.0 (1.8) | 36.8 (2.4) | 52.6 (2.1) | 26.8 (0.8) | 20.4 (0.6) | 38.4 (1.8) | 38.8 (2.6) | 55.4 (2.8) | 26.2 (0.7) |
| Smoking prevalence (%)1**/2** | ||||||||||
| No | 78.4 (0.8) | 77.1 (1.1) | 84.0 (1.4) | 82.6 (1.8) | 78.6 (0.6) | 80.8 (0.7) | 76.5 (1.4) | 82.2 (2.0) | 84.2 (2.3) | 80.3 (0.6) |
| Yes | 21.6 (0.8) | 22.9 (1.1) | 16.0 (1.4) | 17.4 (1.8) | 21.4 (0.6) | 19.2 (0.7) | 23.5 (1.4) | 17.8 (2.0) | 15.8 (2.3) | 19.7 (0.6) |
| Living parents (%)1***/2** | ||||||||||
| None alive | 55.2 (0.6) | 61.0 (1.6) | 54.6 (2.3) | 61.4 (1.8) | 56.4 (0.6) | 54.1 (0.6) | 58.7 (1.6) | 50.0 (2.9) | 51.0 (2.8) | 54.4 (0.7) |
| Atleast one alive | 44.8 (0.6) | 39.0 (1.6) | 45.4 (2.3) | 38.6 (1.8) | 43.6 (0.6) | 45.9 (0.6) | 41.3 (1.6) | 50.0 (2.9) | 49.0 (2.8) | 45.6 (0.7) |
| Drinking prevalence (%)1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| Never drinks | 42.8 (1.1) | 62.9 (1.5) | 47.7 (2.7) | 72.9 (1.8) | 47.6 (0.9) | 37.2 (0.9) | 54.9 (2.0) | 42.2 (3.3) | 67.8 (3.0) | 42.0 (0.9) |
| At most once a week | 31.5 (0.7) | 24.2 (1.4) | 31.9 (2.5) | 19.6 (1.8) | 29.8 (0.6) | 35.0 (0.9) | 28.4 (1.5) | 38.0 (3.1) | 22.4 (2.4) | 33.4 (0.8) |
| More than once | 25.7 (0.7) | 13.0 (0.9) | 20.4 (2.1) | 7.4 (1.0) | 22.6 (0.6) | 27.8 (0.8) | 16.7 (1.4) | 19.8 (1.9) | 9.8 (2.3) | 24.6 (0.6) |
| Death (%)1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| No | 93.7 (0.3) | 90.2 (0.7) | 93.2 (1.0) | 95.5 (0.9) | 93.2 (0.3) | 93.6 (0.3) | 88.3 (1.0) | 93.9 (1.2) | 92.8 (1.8) | 92.7 (0.3) |
| Yes | 6.3 (0.3) | 9.8 (0.7) | 6.8 (1.0) | 4.5 (0.9) | 6.8 (0.3) | 6.4 (0.3) | 11.7 (1.0) | 6.1 (1.2) | 7.2 (1.8) | 7.3 (0.3) |
| Age (in years)1***/2 | ||||||||||
| Mean age | 57.8 (3.9) | 58.0 (3.8) | 57.3 (3.9) | 58.4 (3.8) | 57.8 (3.9) | 57.6 (4.3) | 57.4 (4.3) | 56.7 (4.5) | 57.0 (4.7) | 57.4 (4.3) |
| Education (in years)1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| Mean education | 13.0 (2.5) | 11.7 (2.9) | 11.3 (3.5) | 6.4 (4.0) | 12.4 (3.0) | 13.5 (2.4) | 12.5 (2.6) | 11.7 (3.5) | 7.2 (4.5) | 12.9 (3.0) |
| BMI1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| Mean BMI | 28.4 (5.6) | 30.3 (6.1) | 28.7 (5.3) | 29.1 (5.2) | 28.8 (5.7) | 29.2 (6.1) | 31.8 (6.9) | 29.9 (6.6) | 29.6 (5.6) | 29.7 (6.3) |
| Number of children1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| Mean number of children | 3.1 (1.8) | 3.7 (2.4) | 3.5 (2.2) | 4.4 (2.7) | 3.3 (2.0) | 2.8 (1.8) | 3.4 (2.2) | 3.3 (2.2) | 3.9 (2.5) | 3.0 (1.9) |
| Number of siblings1***/2*** | ||||||||||
| Mean number of sibling | 2.6 (2.1) | 4.1 (2.8) | 4.2 (3.2) | 4.6 (3.0) | 3.0 (2.4) | 2.6 (2.0) | 4.4 (2.8) | 4.7 (3.0) | 5.0 (3.2) | 3.2 (2.5) |
Notes: BMI = body mass index (kg/m2); HE = English-speaking Hispanics; HS = Spanish-speaking Hispanics; N = number of observations; NHB = non-Hispanic Blacks (Blacks); NHW = non-Hispanic Whites (Whites). Standard errors are reported inside the parenthesis.
1*** p < .001 in Period 1; 2***p < .001 in Period 2.
1** p < .01 in Period 1; 2**p < .01 in Period 2.
1* p < .05 in Period 1, 2*p < .05 in Period 2. Lastly, 1 represents not significant in Period 1 and 2 represents not significant in Period 2.