Table 1 Characteristics of participants in the entire sample (n = 3755), complex (n = 1374) and non-complex subgroups (n = 2241)
Variable | Missing | Entire sample | Complex subgroup | Non-complex subgroup | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(n = 3755) | (n = 1374) | (n = 2241) | |||
Freq (%) | Freq (%) | Freq (%) | |||
Age, mean (SD) | 1 | 79.8 (4.6) | 80.1 (4.6) | 79.6 (4.6) | Â |
Sex | 0 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Male |  | 1693 (45.1) | 693 (50.4) | 947 (42.3) |  |
 Female |  | 2062 (54.9) | 681 (49.6) | 1294 (57.7) |  |
Ethnicity | 2 | Â | Â | Â | Other ethnicity includes Pacific, Asian, and African |
 New Zealand Maori |  | 177 (4.7) | 54 (3.9) | 115 (5.1) | |
 New Zealand European |  | 2817 (75.1) | 1058 (77.0) | 1666 (74.4) | |
 European |  | 645 (17.2) | 222 (16.2) | 390 (17.4) | |
 Other |  | 114 (3.0) | 40 (2.9) | 68 (3.0) | |
Marital status | 39 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Married |  | 1985 (53.4) | 743 (54.4) | 1183 (53.4) |  |
 Widow or widower |  | 1417 (38.1) | 497 (36.4) | 863 (38.9) |  |
 Single or divorced |  | 314 (8.5) | 126 (9.2) | 171 (7.7) |  |
Living arrangement | 12 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Alone |  | 1550 (41.4) | 541 (39.4) | 941 (42.1) |  |
 With only spouse or partner |  | 1993 (53.3) | 740 (53.9) | 1194 (53.4) |  |
 Other |  | 200 (5.3) | 91 (6.6) | 101 (4.5) |  |
NZDep06 of home address | 150 | Â | Â | Â | Higher decile areas in the 2006 New Zealand Index of Deprivation (NZDep06) [24] represent areas with greater levels of deprivation |
 1st-2nd decile (low deprivation) |  | 1012 (28.1) | 318 (24.3) | 658 (30.4) | |
 3rd-5th decile |  | 1256 (34.8) | 465 (35.5) | 748 (34.6) | |
 6th–10th decile (high deprivation) |  | 1337 (37.1) | 526 (40.2) | 759 (35.1) | |
Education | 154 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Completed primary |  | 522 (14.5) | 214 (15.8) | 302 (13.7) |  |
 Completed secondary |  | 1645 (45.7) | 625 (46.2) | 999 (45.3) |  |
 Completed tertiary |  | 1434 (39.8) | 515 (38.0) | 903 (41.0) |  |
5 or more health problems | 140 | 312 (8.6) | 312 (22.7) | 0 (0.0) | Summary score adding the number of positive responses reported by participants to 14 health conditions: hypertension, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, myocardial infarction or angina, stroke, chronic lung problems, hip fracture, knee replacement, hip replacement, depression or mental illness |
3 or more medication types | 20 | 2267 (60.7) | 1134 (82.8) | 1054 (47.2) | Participant-reported number of medication types |
AMTS score ≤ 6 | 33 | 52 (1.4) | 21 (1.5) | 28 (1.3) | A score of 6 or less in the Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS) [25] is indicative of cognitive impairment |
GDS-15 score ≥ 5 | 24 | 342 (9.2) | 188 (13.7) | 136 (6.1) | A score of 5 or more in the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) [26] is suggestive of depression |
Social support score, mean (SD) | 340 | 28.4 (3.1) | 28.0 (3.2) | 28.7 (3.0) | Higher scores in the 11-item Duke Social Support Index [27] represent more social interaction and support |
Inadequate physical activity | 229 | 1711 (48.5) | 748 (55.9) | 954 (44.0) | Exercises less than 30 min/5 times per week considered inadequate |
Current or ever smoked | 5 | 2078 (55.4) | 849 (61.8) | 1147 (51.2) | Â |
Alcohol consumption | 145 | 2197 (60.9) | 811 (59.4) | 1373 (61.7) | Â |
Frequency of alcohol intake | 162 | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Daily or almost daily |  | 1177 (32.8) | 430 (31.6) | 741 (33.5) |  |
 Weekly |  | 532 (14.8) | 198 (14.6) | 331 (15.0) |  |
 Monthly |  | 469 (13.1) | 178 (13.1) | 287 (13.0) |  |
 Never |  | 1415 (39.4) | 554 (40.7) | 854 (38.6) |  |
High nutritional risk | 25 | 1199 (32.1) | 610 (44.6) | 573 (25.7) | A score of 6 or more in the Australian Nutrition Screening Initiative [28] is suggestive of high nutritional risk |
No ASH 18 months prior | 7 | 3258 (86.9) | 1090 (79.5) | 2048 (91.5) |  |
Non-overnight ASH 18 months prior | 7 | 79 (2.1) | 39 (2.8) | 35 (1.6) |  |