Characteristics of the Study Population with Respect to Vital Status and Confidant Status
| Characteristics | Patients (n) | Alive | P | Confidant | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | |||||
| 65–74 | 496 | 361 (73%) | 430 (87%) | ||
| 75–84 | 302 | 150 (50%) | 269 (89%) | ||
| ≥85 | 53 | 8 (15%) | <.0001 | 40 (75%) | .026 |
| Sex | |||||
| Men | 365 | 212 (58%) | 329 (90%) | ||
| Women | 484 | 308 (63%) | .13 | 411 (84%) | .014 |
| Race | |||||
| White | 723 | 441 (61%) | 629 (87%) | ||
| Nonwhite | 129 | 79 (61%) | .96 | 111 (86%) | .77 |
| Marital status | |||||
| Married | 546 | 367 (67%) | 502 (92%) | ||
| Other | 306 | 153 (50%) | <.0001 | 238 (78%) | <.0001 |
| Annual income ($) | |||||
| <15,000 | 162 | 81 (50%) | 134 (83%) | ||
| 15,000–35,000 | 373 | 220 (59%) | 320 (86%) | ||
| >35,000 | 294 | 204 (69%) | .0002 | 267 (91%) | .032 |
| Education | |||||
| <High school | 135 | 77 (57%) | 117 (87%) | ||
| High school | 210 | 138 (66%) | 186 (89%) | ||
| >High school | 507 | 202 (60%) | .24 | 437 (86%) | .69 |
| Confidant | |||||
| Present | 740 | 460 (62%) | |||
| Absent | 112 | 60 (54%) | .082 | ||
| ADL score | |||||
| 0–13 | 291 | 144 (49%) | 246 (85%) | ||
| 14 | 561 | 376 (67%) | <.0001 | 494 (88%) | .15 |
| IADL score | |||||
| 0–13 | 257 | 108 (42%) | 215 (84%) | ||
| 14 | 595 | 412 (69%) | <.0001 | 525 (88%) | .070 |
| Continuous variables* | |||||
| Age | 851 | 72.4 (4.9) | .013 | 74.0 (5.8) | .19 |
| BMI | 839 | 29.0 (5.3) | .011 | 28.6 (5.5) | .91 |
| QWB-SA (0 or 1) | 848 | 0.66 (0.12) | <.0001 | 0.64 (0.13) | <.0001 |
| ADL | 852 | 13.6 (0.94) | <.0001 | 13.5 (1.1) | .12 |
| IADL | 852 | 13.6 (1.0) | <.0001 | 13.3 (1.5) | .19 |
| Self-rated health | 793 | 80.0 (14.7) | <.0001 | 76.9 (16.6) | .0009 |
| Gait time | 778 | 15.6 (4.2) | <.0001 | 17.0 (7.0) | .22 |
| Physical function | 846 | 71.8 (24.1) | <.0001 | 65.8 (27.4) | <.0001 |
| Physical limitations | 846 | 62.5 (40.1) | <.0001 | 57.2 (42.1) | .0003 |
| Emotional limits | 845 | 78.9 (34.7) | .0029 | 78.2 (35.2) | <.0001 |
| Bodily pain | 846 | 69.4 (23.1) | .0006 | 68.7 (23.8) | <.0001 |
| Emotional health | 846 | 81.1 (15.0) | .0023 | 81.2 (14.7) | <.0001 |
| Energy | 846 | 59.6 (21.1) | <.0001 | 57.0 (21.6) | <.0001 |
| Social function | 812 | 88.7 (16.9) | <.0001 | 86.9 (18.2) | .0009 |
| General health | 848 | 68.6 (18.4) | <.0001 | 65.3 (18.7) | .0026 |
| Morbidity index | 852 | 1.17 (1.04) | <.0001 | 1.29 (1.04) | .0068 |
Bolded values are significant at P < .05.
↵* Continuous variable values are presented as mean (SD).
ADL, activity of daily living; IADL, instrumental activity of daily living; BMI, body mass index; QWB-SA, self-administered Quality of Well-Being instrument.