Table 1:
Characteristics of the MCBS Sample, 2010–2012
| Metric | Mean |
|---|---|
| Sociodemographics | |
| Age | 75.5 |
| Male | 44% |
| Race (white / black / other) | 79%, 8%, 13% |
| Married | 54% |
| Poverty category (1=worse, 5=best) | 3.7 |
| Education (<9 years, 9–11 years, HS/GED, some college, college grad) | 10%, 13%, 28%, 27%, 23% |
| Veteran | 24.1% |
| Behavioral risk factors | |
| Smoking (never, current, former) | 37%, 15%, 48% |
| BMI (underweight, normal, overweight, obese) | 3%, 34%, 38%, 26% |
| Health Status | |
| Self-reported health compared to one year previous (much/somewhat better, about the same, somewhat/much worse) | 15%, 63%, 22% |
| Self-reported health compared to others of the same age (excellent, very good, good, fair, poor) | 18%, 32%, 30%, 15%, 5% |
| Mortality rate (annual) | 4.6% |
| Components of quality of life | |
| Difficulty walking (1/4 mile/2–3 blocks; moderate, severe) | 9%, 26% |
| Difficulty stooping/crouching/kneeling | 47% |
| Difficulty lifting or carrying objects as heavy as 10 pounds | 25% |
| Difficulty reaching or extending arms above shoulder level | 17% |
| Difficulty writing or handling and grasping small objects | 14% |
| Any ADL impairmenta | 30% |
| Any IADL impairmenta | 23% |
| Difficulty seeing (even with glasses) | 33% |
| Difficulty hearing (even with hearing aid) | 43% |
| Health limits social activities (moderate, severe) | 7%, 5% |
Notes: Means for sociodemographics, behavioral risk factors, health status, and mortality rate are from the MCBS FFS sample, weighted using sample weights adjusted to account for those omitted due to being in Medicare Advantage (HMO) plans. For components of quality of life, means are from the whole MCBS sample including Medicare advantage, and are weighted using survey weights. Survey questions for these impairments are shown in Appendix Table A5.
Source: Data are from those age 65 and older in the MCBS.
a
ADL impairments include dressing, bathing/showing, or walking. IADL impairments include using the telephone, managing money, shopping, making meals, or doing light housework.