Baseline Patient Characteristics
| Characteristic | Na | Intervention Mean (SD) or No. (%) | Control Mean (SD) or No. (%) | P Value | Total Mean (SD) or No. (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||||
| Age, mean (SD), y | 3,753 | 80.4 (4.6) | 80.3 (4.5) | .53 | 80.3 (4.6) |
| Sex, female, No. (%) | 3,737 | 1,101 (56) | 951 (54) | .21 | 2,052 (55) |
| Married, No. (%) | 3,711 | 1,038 (53) | 945 (54) | .66 | 1,983 (53) |
| Living alone, No. (%) | 3,738 | 824 (42) | 724 (41) | .57 | 1,548 (41) |
| Education, No. (%) | 3,598 | .64 | |||
| Primary school | 270 (14) | 251 (15) | 521 (14) | ||
| Secondary school | 882 (47) | 763 (45) | 1,645 (46) | ||
| Tertiary qualification | 739 (39) | 693 (41) | 1,432 (40) | ||
| Main lifetime occupation, No. (%) | 3,706 | .97 | |||
| Professional | 681 (35) | 639 (36) | 1,320 (36) | ||
| Managerial/technical | 935 (48) | 793 (45) | 1,728 (47) | ||
| Clerical/laborers | 332 (17) | 326 (19) | 658 (18) | ||
| Clinical characteristics | |||||
| Total medications, mean (SD) | 2,849 | 4.29 (3.24) | 4.10 (3.11) | .01 | 4.20 (3.18) |
| Hospitalized in last 12 mo, No. (%) | 3,752 | 158 (8) | 152 (9) | .52 | 310 (8) |
| Diagnoses, No. (%)b | |||||
| Hypertension | 3,551 | 1,054 (57) | 930 (55) | .22 | 1,984 (56) |
| Myocardial infarction | 3,478 | 497 (27) | 459 (28) | .97 | 956 (27) |
| Cerebrovascular accident | 3,416 | 213 (12) | 172 (11) | .18 | 385 (11) |
| COPD | 3,441 | 126 (7) | 124 (7) | .65 | 250 (7) |
| Total No., mean (SD)c | 3,524 | 0.46 (0.66) | 0.46 (0.62) | .72 | 0.45 (0.64) |
| Smoking, No. (%) | 3,720 | .57 | |||
| Never smoker | 905 (46) | 804 (46) | 1,709 (46) | ||
| Past smoker | 1,002 (51) | 896 (51) | 1,898 (51) | ||
| Current smoker | 54 (3) | 59 (3) | 113 (3) | ||
| Fell in last 12 mo, No. (%) | 3,721 | 622 (32) | 576 (33) | .47 | 1,198 (32) |
| Support services, No. (%) | |||||
| Any home help | 3,727 | 589 (30) | 445 (25) | .01 | 1,034 (28) |
| Home help more than once a week | 1,027 | 99 (17) | 38 (9) | <.001 | 137 (13) |
| Any personal care | 3,727 | 92 (5) | 49 (3) | .002 | 141 (4) |
| Personal care more than once a week | 139 | 83 (92) | 46 (94) | .72 | 129 (93) |
| Cognition, AMTS score, mean (SD) | 3,714 | 9.31 (1.02) | 9.4 (0.89) | <.001 | 9.35 (0.96) |
| Depression, GDS-15 score ≥5, No. (%) | 3,726 | 184 (9) | 158 (9) | .66 | 342 (9) |
| Disabled subgroup | |||||
| Sex, female, No. (%) | 148 | 58 (61) | 30 (57) | .63 | 88 (59) |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 148 | 80.0 (5.2) | 81.5 (5.5) | .12 | 8.5 (5.3) |
| SPPB score, mean (SD) | 148 | 5.6 (3.2) | 6.0 (3.4) | .60 | 5.7 (3.3) |
| Grip strength, mean (SD), kg | 144 | 23.0 (9.4) | 24.0 (11.2) | .09 | 23.3 (10.0) |
AMTS = Abbreviated Mental Test Score (higher score indicates better cognition; score of ≥7 is considered normal); COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; GDS-15 = 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (higher score indicates more depressive symptoms; score of ≥5 is considered moderate depressive symptoms); SPPB = Short Physical Performance Battery for physical function (measures physical performance, a combination of balance, gait speed, and chair stands; scores range from 0 to 12; a higher score indicates better function).
↵a Total with complete data included in analysis.
↵b Ascertained by the question “Have you ever been told by a doctor that you have or have had: high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, arthritis/rheumatism, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, heart attack or angina, stroke, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, hip fracture, knee replacement, hip replacement, depression, or mental illness?”
↵c Excluding hypertension.