Descriptives—independent variables*
| 1997 N=1692 | 2000 N=1474 | 2003 N=1295 | 2007 N=1220 | p for trend | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per cent/mean (SD) | Per cent/mean (SD) | Per cent/mean (SD) | Per cent/mean (SD) | ||
| Demographic variables | |||||
| Education in years (5–18) | 8.8 (3.3) | 9.0 (3.2) | 9.2 (3.3) | 9.6 (3.3) | <0.001 |
| Income | 963 (404) | 988 (393) | 1027 (359) | 1052 (319) | <0.001 |
| Married | 53.4 | 53.6 | 55.4 | 59.7 | <0.001 |
| Urbanisation level (1–5) | 3.2 (1.5) | 3.1 (1.4) | 3.0 (1.4) | 3.0 (1.4) | <0.01 |
| Institutionalised | 5.1 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 2.8 | <0.05 |
| Psychosocial factors | |||||
| Network size (0–67) | 14.1 (8.3) | 14.4 (8.6) | 15.0 (8.6) | 16.0 (9.1) | <0.001 |
| Received instrumental support (0–36) | 14.8 (6.7) | 14.6 (6.7) | 15.1 (6.5) | 15.7 (6.7) | <0.001 |
| Received emotional support (0–36) | 20.7 (8.3) | 20.7 (7.9) | 21.9 (7.9) | 22.1 (7.7) | <0.001 |
| Mastery (5–25) | 17.1 (3.4) | 17.2 (3.4) | 17.2 (3.4) | 17.3 (3.3) | NS |
| Social loneliness (0–5) | 1.1 (1.4) | 1.1 (1.4) | 1.0 (1.4) | 0.9 (1.4) | <0.05 |
| Emotional loneliness (0–6) | 1.3 (1.8) | 1.3 (1.8) | 1.2 (1.7) | 1.1 (1.7) | <0.01 |
| Lifestyle factors | |||||
| Alcohol intake (0–77 glasses per week) | 7.5 (11.5) | 6.8 (9.6) | 7.2 (9.5) | 7.6 (10.3) | NS |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 26.9 (4.2) | 27.3 (4.2) | 27.4 (4.2) | 27.5 (4.3) | <0.001 |
| Non-smoker | 60.8 | 66.9 | 67.5 | 68.8 | <0.01 |
| Former | 19.7 | 17.1 | 17.3 | 17.4 | NS |
| Current | 19.5 | 15.9 | 15.2 | 13.9 | <0.001 |
| Sports physical activity (min/day) | 10.5 (24.1) | 13.5 (29.4) | 18.5 (33.2) | 19.8 (31.7) | <0.001 |
| Non-sports physical activity (min/day) | 137.2 (94.3) | 139.2 (95.3) | 136.6 (100.1) | 129.2 (98.9) | <0.01 |
| Health factors | |||||
| Chronic diseases (0–9) | 1.6 (1.2) | 1.7 (1.3) | 1.7 (1.2) | 1.8 (1.2) | <0.001 |
| Functional limitations (0–6) | 1.6 (1.9) | 1.6 (1.9) | 1.7 (1.9) | 1.8 (1.9) | <0.001 |
| Self-rated health (1–5) | 2.45 (1.0) | 2.42 (0.9) | 2.46 (0.9) | 2.49 (0.9) | <0.01 |
| Contact with general practitioner | 79.1 | 83.8 | 81.5 | 81.1 | NS |
| Contact with medical specialist | 50.7 | 51.8 | 53.4 | 53.0 | <0.05 |
| Physical performance (0–12) | 7.0 (2.7) | 6.8 (2.7) | 7.0 (2.6) | 7.4 (2.6) | NS |
| Polypharmacy (≥5 vs <5) | 16.6 | 22.6 | 24.1 | 31.0 | <0.001 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 153.1 (26.1) | 152.6 (25.0) | 148.3 (25.5) | 149.6 (25.4) | <0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 83.3 (13.6) | 83.0 (12.2) | 82.4 (13.3) | 82.9 (13.7) | NS |
| Depressive symptoms (0–60) | 8.4 (8.1) | 8.7 (7.6) | 9.2 (7.5) | 8.6 (7.3) | <0.001 |
| Cognitive functioning (0–30) | 26.6 (3.3) | 26.9 (3.1) | 27.0 (3.2) | 27.2 (2.7) | <0.001 |
*All descriptives are weighted to the age and gender distributions in 2001–2002; trends were age-adjusted and gender-adjusted.