Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of population at baseline (n = 7213) and 16-year follow-up, by mortality group
Variables | Baseline (n = 7213) | Survivors (n = 3409) | Deceased (n = 3804) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Age group (%) | ||||
60–69 years | 3147 (43.6) | 2540 (74.5) | 607 (16.0) | < 0.0013 |
70–79 years | 1754 (24.3) | 709 (20.8) | 1045 (27.5) | |
> 80 years | 2312 (32.1) | 160 (4.7) | 2152 (56.5) | |
Mean age (SD) | 73.11 (10.72) | 65.74 (6.75) | 79.72 (9.21) | |
Sex | ||||
Female (%) | 4291 (59.5) | 2029 (59.8) | 2262 (52.7) | < 0.0011 |
Sex-age interaction (%) | ||||
Male 60–69 ys | 1474 (20.4) | 1128 (33.2) | 346 (9.1) | < 0.0011 |
Male 70–79 ys | 707 (9.8) | 213 (6.2) | 494 (13.0) | |
Male 80+ ys | 741 (10.3) | 39 (1.1) | 702 (18.5) | |
Female 60–69 ys | 1673 (23.2) | 1412 (41.5) | 261 (6.9) | |
Female 70–79 ys | 1047 (14.5) | 496 (14.5) | 551 (14.5) | |
Female 80+ ys | 1571 (21.8) | 121 (3.5) | 1450 (38.0) | |
Marital status (%) | ||||
Married | 3520 (49.9) | 2117 (62.5) | 1403 (38.1) | < 0.0011 |
Widow/-er | 1890 (26.8) | 385 (11.4) | 1505 (40.8) | |
Unmarried | 708 (10.0) | 320 (9.5) | 388 (10.5) | |
Divorced | 788 (11.1) | 458 (13.5) | 330 (9.0) | |
Living apart | 169 (2.2) | 105 (3.1) | 60 (1.6) | |
Country of birth (%) | ||||
Sweden | 6503 (91.3) | 3045 (89.5) | 3458 (92.9) | 0.0011 |
Other Nordic country | 222 (3.1) | 112 (3.3) | 110 (3.0) | |
Other European country | 335 (4.7) | 211 (6.2) | 124 (3.3) | |
Outside Europe | 62 (0.9) | 33 (1.0) | 29 (0.8) | |
Geographical area (%) | ||||
Urban | 4958 (68.8) | 2569 (75.3) | 2389 (62.8) | < 0.0011 |
Medium-sized town | 2158 (29.9) | 800 (23.5) | 1358 (35.7) | |
Rural | 97 (1.3) | 40 (1.2) | 57 (1.5) | |
Highest level of education (%) | ||||
Primary school, left at age < 13 yrs | 2268 (32.7) | 763 (23.0) | 1505 (41.5) | < 0.0012 |
Secondary school, left at age 14–16 yrs | 831 (12.0) | 379 (11.4) | 452 (12.5) | |
Upper secondary or vocational school, left at age 18–19 yrs | 2252 (32.4) | 1123 (33.9) | 1129 (31.2) | |
College or above | 1589 (22.9) | 1053 (31.7) | 536 (14.8) | |
Housing (%) | ||||
Community dwelling | 6816 (96.2) | 3362 (99.2) | 3454 (93.5) | < 0.0011 |
Residential care facility and other | 267 (3.8) | 26 (0.8) | 241 (6.5) | |
Financial difficulties in the last year | ||||
Yes | 373 (5.3) | 1173 (5.1) | 200 (5.5) | 0.4531 |
Able to access EUR 1,400 within a week (%) | ||||
Yes | 6043 (87.6) | 3042 (90.6) | 3001 (84.8) | < 0.0011 |
Depression (%) | ||||
Yes | 1060 (14.8) | 539 (15.9) | 521 (13.8) | 0.0061 |
No | 6048 (84.5) | 2822 (83.2) | 3226 (85.7) | |
Don’t know | 47 (0.7) | 29 (0.9) | 18 (0.5) | |
Do you have someone who can help you when you are ill? (%) | ||||
Yes, no problem | 4468 (67.7) | 2317 (71.1) | 2151 (64.5) | < 0.0012 |
Yes, probably | 1766 (26.8) | 836 (25.7) | 930 (27.8) | |
No, probably not | 244 (3.7) | 79 (2.4) | 165 (4.9) | |
No, I do not | 121 (1.8) | 27 (0.8) | 94 (2.8) | |
Number of individuals you know well enough that you can talk to them about everything (%) | ||||
None | 149 (2.3) | 51 (1.6) | 98 (2.9) | < 0.0012 |
1–3 | 2369 (35.7) | 1034 (31.6) | 1335 (39.9) | |
4–6 | 2134 (32.1) | 1090 (33.3) | 1044 (31.2) | |
7–9 | 805 (12.2) | 449 (13.7) | 356 (10.6) | |
10–15 | 707 (10.7) | 386 (11.8) | 321 (9.6) | |
16–30 | 282 (4.3) | 168 (5.1) | 114 (3.4) | |
> 30 | 176 (2.7) | 95 (2.9) | 81 (2.4) | |
Religious beliefs (%) | ||||
Yes | 2868 (49.0) | 1245 (44.0) | 1623 (53.7) | < 0.0011 |
No | 2984 (51.0) | 1584 (56.0) | 1400 (46.3) | |
Feeling lonely (%) | ||||
Yes, often | 449 (6.4) | 118 (3.5) | 331 (9.1) | < 0.0012 |
Yes, sometimes | 1863 (26.6) | 740 (22.0) | 1123 (30.9) | |
No, seldom | 1957 (28.0) | 1071 (31.8) | 886 (24.4) | |
No, never | 2729 (39.0) | 1438 (42.7) | 1291 (35.6) | |
Suicidal thoughts (%) | ||||
No suicidal thoughts | 6310 (87.5) | 3189 (93.5) | 3121 (82.1) | < 0.0011 |
Life weariness | 814 (11.3) | 197 (5.8) | 617 (16.2) | |
Suicidal thoughts | 89 (1.2) | 23 (0.7) | 66 (1.7) | |