Table 1 .
Baseline characteristics of complete cases by multimorbidity pattern
| Characteristics | Unspecific (n = 1,210, 47.8%) | MSK, resp. & GI (n = 402, 15.9%) | Metabolic & sleep (n = 291, 11.5%) | Sensory & cancer (n = 287, 11.3%) | Cardio., anaemia & dementia (n = 195, 7.7%) | Psych. (n = 149, 5.9%) | Total (n = 2,534) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 71.2 ± 9.2 | 74.8 ± 10.2 | 73.0 ± 8.8 | 83.2 ± 8.5 | 83.4 ± 8.6 | 71.2 ± 9.6 | 74.3 ± 10.3** |
| Sex (female) | 760 (62.8) | 310 (77.1) | 135 (46.4) | 189 (65.9) | 128 (65.6) | 109 (73.2) | 1,631 (64.4)** |
| Education | |||||||
| Elementary | 176 (14.6) | 66 (16.4) | 49 (16.8) | 69 (24.0) | 56 (28.9) | 21 (14.1) | 437 (17.3)** |
| High school | 589 (48.7) | 202 (50.3) | 155 (53.3) | 151 (52.6) | 102 (52.6) | 71 (47.7) | 1,270 (50.2) |
| University | 444 (36.7) | 134 (33.3) | 87 (29.9) | 67 (23.3) | 36 (18.6) | 57 (38.3) | 825 (32.6)** |
| Civil status | |||||||
| Partnered | 637 (52.7) | 167 (41.7) | 147 (50.5) | 84 (29.3) | 63 (32.3) | 60 (40.3) | 1,158 (45.7)** |
| Widowed | 242 (20.0) | 107 (26.7) | 66 (22.7) | 127 (44.3) | 86 (44.1) | 36 (24.2) | 664 (26.2)** |
| Unmarried | 172 (14.2) | 63 (15.7) | 40 (13.8) | 44 (15.3) | 30 (15.4) | 22 (14.8) | 371 (14.7) |
| Divorced | 158 (13.1) | 64 (16.0) | 38 (13.1) | 32 (11.2) | 16 (8.2) | 31 (20.8) | 339 (13.4)* |
| Alcohol consumption | |||||||
| Never/occasional | 341 (28.3) | 160 (40.1) | 100 (34.5) | 151 (53.4) | 108 (56.5) | 53 (35.6) | 913 (36.3)** |
| Light/moderate | 651 (54.0) | 170 (42.6) | 147 (50.7) | 97 (34.3) | 66 (34.6) | 55 (36.9) | 1,186 (47.1)** |
| Heavy | 214 (17.7) | 69 (17.3) | 43 (14.8) | 35 (12.4) | 17 (8.9) | 41 (27.5) | 419 (16.6)** |
| Smoking status | |||||||
| Never | 559 (46.5) | 197 (49.4) | 114 (39.3) | 160 (56.1) | 99 (50.8) | 58 (39.5) | 1,187 (47.1)* |
| Former | 457 (38.0) | 152 (38.1) | 131 (45.2) | 94 (33.0) | 79 (40.5) | 55 (37.4) | 968 (38.4) |
| Current | 187 (15.5) | 50 (12.5) | 45 (15.5) | 31 (10.9) | 17 (8.7) | 34 (23.1) | 364 (14.5)* |
| Number of diseases | 3.0 ± 1.1 | 4.5 ± 1.8 | 5.1 ± 1.8 | 5.7 ± 1.9 | 7.6 ± 2.4 | 5.4 ± 2.0 | 4.3 ± 2.1** |
| Physically frail | 56 (4.6) | 66 (16.4) | 25 (8.6) | 69 (24.0) | 76 (39.0) | 26 (17.5) | 318 (12.6)** |
Notes: MSK, resp. & GI = musculoskeletal, respiratory & gastrointestinal diseases; metabolic & sleep = metabolic & sleep disorders; sensory & cancer = sensory impairments & cancer; cardio., anaemia & dementia = cardiovascular diseases, anaemia & dementia; psych. = psychiatric. Missing variables: civil status (n = 2), education (n = 2), smoking status (n = 15) and alcohol consumption (n = 16). Values are presented as absolute number and column percentage (%) or mean ± standard deviation.
* P < 0.01.
** P < 0.001