Skip to main content

Table 1 Characteristics of socially isolated and not isolated groups (n (%) unless stated otherwise; N = 267a)

From: Associations between social isolation, loneliness, and objective physical activity in older men and women

 

Isolated

(n = 107)

Not isolated

(n = 160)

P difference

Sex

 Male

60 (56.1)

76 (47.5)

0.17

 Female

47 (43.9)

84 (52.5)

 

Age, years

 50–59

21 (19.6)

37 (23.1)

0.92

 60–69

46 (43.0)

67 (41.9)

 

 70–79

36 (33.6)

50 (31.3)

 

  ≥ 80

4 (3.7)

6 (3.8)

 

Education

 No qualifications

52 (48.6)

55 (34.4)

0.07

 Intermediate

23 (21.5)

44 (27.5)

 

 Higher education

32 (29.9)

61 (38.1)

 

Wealth quintile

 1 (lowest)

26 (24.3)

28 (17.5)

0.21

 2

27 (25.2)

33 (20.6)

 

 3

21 (19.6)

28 (17.5)

 

 4

21 (19.6)

39 (24.4)

 

 5 (highest)

12 (11.2)

32 (20.0)

 

Married

56 (52.3)

103 (64.4)

0.05

Smoking status

 Non-smoker

80 (74.8)

132 (82.5)

0.19

 Former smoker

9 (8.4)

6 (3.8)

 

 Current smoker

18 (16.8)

22 (13.8)

 

Alcohol consumption

  < 5 times per week

87 (81.3)

131 (81.9)

0.91

 5–7 times per week

20 (18.7)

29 (18.1)

 

Self-rated health

 Excellent

9 (8.4)

27 (16.9)

0.33

 Very good

31 (29.0)

46 (28.7)

 

 Good

40 (37.4)

52 (32.5)

 

 Fair

22 (20.6)

26 (16.3)

 

 Poor

5 (4.7)

9 (5.6)

 

Longstanding limiting illness

42 (39.3)

45 (28.1)

0.06

No. of mobility impairments, mean SD

2.07 ± 2.4

1.52 ± 2.3

0.06

Depressive symptoms ≥3

16 (15.0)

25 (15.6)

0.88

Loneliness score, mean SD

1.47 ± 0.6

1.38 ± 0.5

0.21

Days of accelerometer wear, mean SD

5.84 ± 1.3

5.80 ± 1.3

0.80

  1. aSubsample from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, wave 6 [2012–13]