Table 1.
Select characteristics in 2006–2016 HRS (N=3,613)
| Characteristics | N | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographics | |||
| Age at death | 50–64 | 357 | 13.9% |
| 65–74 | 754 | 22.0% | |
| 75–84 | 1260 | 27.9% | |
| 85+ | 1242 | 36.1% | |
| Gender | Female | 1829 | 50.4% |
| Marital Status | Married/Partnered | 1833 | 47.0% |
| Race/Ethnicity | White/Caucasian | 2849 | 81.0% |
| Black/AA | 485 | 11.1% | |
| Hispanic | 221 | 6.1% | |
| Others | 58 | 1.8% | |
| Education | <HS or GED | 961 | 27.2% |
| Net Worth1 | <6,000 | 681 | 21.1% |
| 6,000-<81,000 | 807 | 22.7% | |
| 81,000-<239,000 | 856 | 22.8% | |
| >=239,000 | 1269 | 33.4% | |
| Health status | |||
| Cognition2 | Normal | 2133 | 55.9% |
| CIND | 1034 | 26.9% | |
| Dementia | 446 | 17.3% | |
| Comorbidities | Any condition | 2934 | 80.2% |
| Cancer | 1069 | 29.0% | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 1148 | 31.5% | |
| Lung disease | 840 | 23.3% | |
| Stroke | 686 | 19.7% | |
| Heart Disease | 1719 | 46.6% | |
| ADL Dependence | Any ADL dependence | 783 | 25.0% |
| Walking | 296 | 10.6% | |
| Dressing | 483 | 16.3% | |
| Eating | 187 | 7.3% | |
| Bathing | 500 | 17.2% | |
| Toilet | 158 | 6.3% | |
| In/Out of bed | 222 | 8.8% | |
| IADL Difficulty | Any IADL difficulty | 1612 | 48.9% |
| Cooking | 888 | 28.5% | |
| Shopping | 1091 | 35.0% | |
| Medications | 292 | 11.7% | |
| Telephone | 429 | 15.9% | |
| Finances | 743 | 25.5% | |
| Difficulty Walking a block | 1452 | 42.5% | |
| Sensory Impairment | Vision impairment | 1244 | 36.6% |
| Hearing impairment | 1187 | 33.8% | |
| Symptoms | Incontinence | 1169 | 34.3% |
| Pain | 1195 | 34.5% | |
| Hospitalizations | In last 2 years | 1759 | 48.6% |
| Loneliness 3 | Not lonely (0 points) | 1282 | 33.7% |
| Occasionally Lonely (1–3) | 1758 | 48.5% | |
| Frequently Lonely (4–6 points) | 573 | 17.8% | |
| Social Isolation and Subscales | |||
| Household and core contacts4 | None | 523 | 17.5% |
| Low | 810 | 24.5% | |
| Moderate/high participation | 2239 | 58.0% | |
| Community engagement5 | None | 956 | 29.7% |
| Low | 504 | 14.6% | |
| Moderate/high participation | 2037 | 55.7% | |
| Social Network Interaction6 | None | 649 | 20.9% |
| Low | 1186 | 36.4% | |
| Moderate/high participation | 1513 | 42.7% | |
| Overall Social Isolation7 | Not socially isolated | 2725 | 81.1% |
| Socially Isolated | 529 | 18.9% |
Abbreviations: CIND – Cognitive Impairment Not Dementia;
Net Worth was calculated as sum of all assets minus the sum of all debts.
Cognitive Impairment was defined using the Langa-Weir methods;
Loneliness was defined using the UCLA 3-item Loneliness Scale, “Any loneliness” reflects 1–6 points;
Household contact items included marital status, household size, and presence of children <10 miles away;
Community engagement items included frequency of volunteering, participating in community groups, and religious services;
Social Network Interaction items included the frequency of interaction with children, family, or friends through in-person, e-mail, or phone;
Overall Social Isolation was defined by combining the Household, Social Network Interaction, and Community Engagement subscales to create a 0–6 point scale with 0–2 points categorized as socially isolated.