Table 1.

Demographic and Health Characteristics of Primary Care Patients Studied (N = 1934)

CharacteristicOverallAge <65 (n = 1481)Age ≥65 (n = 424)P (for Age Comparison)
%Mean (SD)%Mean (SD)%Mean (SD)
Age (years)50.1 (18.1)77.742.8 (12.9)22.375.6 (7.0)
Gender (% female)67.767.767.2.851
Race.001
    African-American30.030.729.1
    White58.156.669.9
    Latino9.211.70.5
    Other2.71.00.5
Marital status.001
    Married/living with partner59.254.850.1
    Separated/divorced14.616.67.6
    Widowed11.84.038.6
    Never married14.417.93.2
Education.001
    Less than 8th grade9.98.114.9
    Some high school11.29.716.4
    High school graduate28.429.226.2
    Some college or more50.553.042.5
Self-reported health status (fair/poor)31.530.535.6.045
Body mass index29.3 (7.1)29.8 (7.2)27.6 (6.3).001
Heart disease11.86.629.5.001
High blood pressure44.239.969.1.001
Lung disease5.44.39.0.001
Stroke5.94.112.5.001
Depression29.131.521.0.001
Chronic back pain24.625.023.6.556
Cancer5.63.114.6.001
Diabetes17.815.128.1.001
Arthritis33.327.055.7.001
Joint pain, stiffness, or aching (last 30 days)54.150.268.7.001
Smoke at least 1 cigarette per day21.625.38.0.001
Physical health (days not good)6.0 (9.0)5.9 (8.9)6.2 (9.3).637
Mental health (days not good)5.3 (9.1)5.8 (9.4)3.6 (8.0).001
Mental or physical health limited usual activities (days)3.8 (8.0)3.6 (7.7)4.5 (8.9).096