Table 1.
Sociodemographic and health characteristics of the study sample.
| Variable | Total (n = 1.161) | Socially isolated individuals*(n = 403) | Socially integrated individuals*(n = 758) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, M ( SD ) | 86.6 (3.1) | 87.1 (3.1) | 86.3 (3.0) | <0.001 |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.192 | |||
| Female | 778 (67.0) | 280 (69.5) | 498 (65.7) | |
| Male | 383 (33.0) | 123 (30.5) | 260 (34.3) | |
| Education, n (%) | 0.363 | |||
| Low | 655 (56.4) | 232 (57.6) | 423 (55.8) | |
| Middle | 357 (30.8) | 127 (31.5) | 230 (30.3) | |
| High | 149 (12.8) | 44 (10.9) | 105 (13.9) | |
| Marital status, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Married | 346 (29.8) | 85 (21.1) | 261 (34.4) | |
| Not married | 814 (70.1) | 317 (78.7) | 497 (65.6) | |
| Missings | 1 (0.1) | 1 (0.3) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Living situation, n (%) | 0.015 | |||
| Living alone | 604 (52.0) | 230 (57.1) | 374 (49.3) | |
| Not living alone | 557 (48.0) | 173 (42.9) | 384 (50.7) | |
| Cognitive function (MMSE), M ( SD ) | 27.9 (1.8) | 27.6 (2.0) | 28.0 (1.7) | <0.001 |
| Missings | 7 (0.6) | 2 (0.5) | 5 (0.7) | |
| IADL, M ( SD ) | 6.5 (1.9) | 6.2 (2.09) | 6.6 (1.7) | 0.052 |
| Cognitive activities, M ( SD ) | 12.4 (4.2) | 10.8 (3.99) | 13.3 (4.1) | <0.001 |
| Missings | 20 (1.7) | 9 (2.2) | 11 (1.5) | |
| Physical activities, M ( SD ) | 6.4 (3.9) | 5.4 (3.7) | 6.9 (3.9) | <0.001 |
| Missings | 25 (2.2) | 8 (2.0) | 17 (2.2) | |
| History of stroke, n (%) | 0.889 | |||
| Yes | 63 (5.4) | 22 (5.5) | 41 (5.4) | |
| No | 831 (71.6) | 283 (70.2) | 548 (72.3) | |
| Missings | 267 (23.0) | 98 (24.3) | 169 (22.3) | |
| History of diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 0.278 | |||
| Yes | 252 (21.7) | 93 (23.1) | 159 (21.0) | |
| No | 635 (54.7) | 210 (52.1) | 425 (56.1) | |
| Missings | 274 (23.6) | 100 (24.8) | 174 (23.0) | |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 0.425 | |||
| Yes | 761 (65.6) | 255 (63.3) | 506 (66.8) | |
| No | 135 (11.6) | 50 (12.4) | 85 (11.2) | |
| Missings | 265 (22.8) | 98 (24.3) | 167 (22.0) | |
| Mobility impairment, n (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Yes | 460 (39.6) | 278 (69.0) | 423 (55.8) | |
| No | 701 (60.4) | 125 (31.0) | 335 (44.2) | |
| Hearing impairment, n (%) | 0.694 | |||
| Yes | 567 (48.8) | 200 (49.6) | 367 (48.4) | |
| No | 594 (51.2) | 203 (50.4) | 391 (51.6) | |
| Vision impairment, n (%) | 0.042 | |||
| Yes | 304 (26.2) | 283 (70.2) | 184 (24.3) | |
| No | 857 (73.8) | 120 (29.8) | 574 (75.7) | |
| Depressive symptoms (GDS), M ( SD ) | 2.6 (2.5) | 3.5 (2.8) | 2.1 (2.2) | <0.001 |
| Missings | 16 (1.4) | 10 (2.5) | 6 (0.8) | |
| Mortality, n (%) | 418 (36.0) | 174 (43.2) | 244 (32.2) | <0.001 |
| Incident dementia, n (%) | 113 (9.7) | 44 (10.9) | 69 (9.1) | 0.321 |
GDS, geriatric depression scale (score range: 0-15); M, mean; MMSE, mini-mental state examination (score range: 0–30); SD, standard deviation.
*
Based on the total score form the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6, scoring range: 0-30), which defines social isolation as a score below 12 and social integration as a score equal 12 or higher.