Table 2 Descriptive Statistics of the Variables over time (Waves 5–15)
From: A longitudinal analysis of mental and general health status of informal carers in Australia
Variable | Mean/Percent (total responses =121,410, N = 23,251) | Minimum Average across waves | Maximum Average across waves |
|---|---|---|---|
SF36 Mental Health Component Score | 74.41 (17.08) | 73.61 | 74.99 |
SF36 General Health Component Score | 68.46 (20.94) | 67.25 | 69.69 |
SF36 Physical Functioning Component Score | 83.90 (22.92) | 83.43 | 84.60 |
Household financial year gross total income ($) | 108,261.2 (102,164.1) | 81,929.9 | 126,464.0 |
Age | 44.17 (18.54) | 43.4 | 44.9 |
Life events in past year: Serious personal injury/illness (# of events) | 8.79 | 7.59 | 9.75 |
Time spent (hrs/mins) per week Volunteer/Charity work | 0.99 (3.48) | 0.9 | 1.1 |
Employment Status | |||
 Employed - works 35 hours a week (Base Category) | 42.46 | 40.82 | 44.34 |
 Employed - works less than 35 hours a week | 20.78 | 20.33 | 21.36 |
 Unemployed, retired, home duties, students & others | 36.76 | 34.99 | 38.20 |
 Carer Characteristics |  | 40.82 | 44.34 |
 Actively cares for a household member/non-resident due to long-term health condition, elderly (%) | 6.93 | 6.24 | 7.66 |
 Time spent in (hrs/mins) per week Caring for disabled/elderly relative (n = 8416) | 14.55 (26.85) | 11.47 | 17.52 |
 Carers’ Age (n = 8416) | 51.65 (15.89) | 49.91 | 52.86 |
Alcohol drinking status | |||
 Never drink/No longer drink (Base category) | 18.12 | 16.17 | 20.16 |
 Drink only rarely | 22.82 | 21.92 | 23.53 |
 Drink 2/3 days per month | 12.61 | 11.40 | 13.35 |
 Drink 1/2 days per week | 18.91 | 18.12 | 19.52 |
 Drink 3 or more days per week | 27.54 | 25.13 | 30.65 |
Standard drinks per day | |||
 Don’t drink (Base Category) | 18.12 | 16.17 | 20.16 |
 1 to 2 standard drinks | 42.82 | 41.92 | 44.67 |
 3 to 4 standard drinks | 21.24 | 20.50 | 22.08 |
 5 and more standard drinks | 17.82 | 16.96 | 19.20 |
How often participate in Physical Activities? | |||
 Not at all (Base Category) | 10.52 | 9.17 | 11.18 |
 Less than once a week | 15.81 | 14.65 | 17.18 |
 1 to 2 times a week | 23.66 | 22.72 | 24.41 |
 3 times a week | 16.07 | 15.59 | 16.79 |
 More than 3 times a week | 33.94 | 33.09 | 35.39 |
How often get together socially with friends/relatives? | |||
 Every Day | 3.91 | 3.08 | 4.73 |
 Several times a week | 23.65 | 21.92 | 26.37 |
 About once a week | 31.61 | 30.99 | 32.60 |
 1 to 3 times a month | 29.89 | 28.02 | 32.07 |
 1 or 2 times every 3 months | 5.78 | 4.64 | 6.46 |
 Less often than once every 3 months (Base Category) | 5.17 | 4.30 | 5.70 |
Smoking Status | |||
 Never smoked/No longer smoke (Base Category) | 81.39 | 77.65 | 83.59 |
 Smoke less often than weekly | 1.53 | 1.36 | 1.82 |
 Smoke at least weekly (but not daily) | 1.80 | 1.53 | 2.26 |
 Smoke daily | 15.28 | 13.34 | 18.28 |
 Number of cigarettes usually smoked each week | 14.95 (42.47) | 12.9 | 17.2 |