Table 1 Characteristics of older respondents in 1999–2004 NHANES

Age group, y

 65–69

29.1

23.8

9.6

29.6

39.0

 70–79

47.0

44.3

45.7

48.5

47.9

 ≥ 80

23.9

31.8

44.7

22.0

13.1

Male sex

42.7

38.8

36.0

49.2

39.5

Race/Ethnicity

 Non-Hispanic White

82.8

83.5

77.1

84.0

81.9

 Non-Hispanic Black

7.7

5.6

9.4

6.8

10.5

 Mexican American

2.8

2.7

2.8

2.8

2.8

 Other Hispanic

4.1

3.3

8.6

4.6

3.1

 Others^a

2.7

5.0

2.1

1.8

1.6

Education^b

 < High school

32.0

29.8

47.3

30.3

32.8

 High school

29.3

29.8

24.5

28.4

31.1

 Some college

22.2

23.5

18.9

22.6

21.4

 College

16.5

16.9

9.3

18.8

14.7

Family income-to-poverty ratio

 < 1

21.2

23.1

29.6

17.9

21.8

 1 - ≤2

28.4

26.6

39.6

27.1

28.9

 > 2 - < 4

29.6

28.1

20.3

32.1

30.2

 ≥ 4

20.8

22.1

10.5

22.9

19.1

Alcohol use^b

 No use

20.5

20.6

22.6

20.5

19.8

 Moderate use

35.9

38.2

23.6

37.7

34.4

 Heavy use

9.7

10.3

7.2

11.0

8.1

Smoking^b

 Never smoker

49.1

49.9

45.6

48.2

50.3

 Former smoker

41.8

38.5

39.0

43.7

43.0

 Current smoker

9.0

11.4

15.1

7.8

6.6

Cancer (Yes)^b

23.6

24.0

27.0

23.7

22.2

Number of chronic conditions^c

 0

14.4

18.8

13.5

14.4

10.3

 1

25.3

28.1

16.8

29.0

19.8

 2

24.9

22.9

27.1

24.9

26.2

 ≥3

35.4

30.1

42.6

31.8

43.6

Frailty (Yes)

57.2

52.1

80.2

51.4

64.4

Chronic pain

15.9

11.7

24.6

14.2

20.2

 Joint

54.7

47.8

55.0

53.7

63.1

 Back

13.7

10.5

16.7

12.3

17.8

 Legs/feet

10.4

7.5

12.7

10.3

12.7

 Arms/hands

3.2

1.9

5.5

3.0

4.1

 Headache

2.3

1.8

3.1

2.2

2.6

Duration

 No pain/Pain less than 24 h

79.7

82.2

76.1

81.5

75.7

 <1 month

3.7

4.7

1.3

4.1

2.6

 1–3 months

1.9

1.5

1.0

1.3

3.5

 3 months-1 year

3.2

2.3

1.1

3.2

4.8

 > = 1 year

11.5

9.4

20.5

9.8

13.5

Average number of pain sites per person

 Mean (Standard Deviation)

0.88(0.02)

0.73(0.03)

1.01(0.09)

0.85(0.04)

1.05(0.04)