Table 2 Subject characteristics
| Â | Cohort | Â | |
|---|---|---|---|
70-year-olds n = 884 | 85-year-olds n = 157 | Cohort Difference | |
Mean ± SD | Mean ± SD | P-valuea | |
Age (years) | 70.5 ± 0.3 | 86.0 ± 0.2 | – |
Sex men/women, n (women %) | 391/493 (56%) | 57/100 (64%) | 0.07 |
BMI (kg/m2) | 26.2 ± 4.3 | 25.8 ± 4.0 | 0.39 |
BMI class (%) | |||
 < 18.5 | 1 | 0 | 0.51 |
 18.5–25 | 43 | 44 |  |
 25–30 | 40 | 41 |  |
 > 30 | 16 | 15 |  |
Appendicular lean soft tissue (kg/m2) | |||
 Men | 7.9 ± 0.8 | 6.8 ± 0.8 | < 0.001 |
 Women | 6.2 ± 0.6 | 5.4 ± 0.6 | < 0.001 |
Handgrip strength (kPa) | |||
 Men | 87 ± 15 | 58 ± 11 | < 0.001 |
 Women | 74 ± 14 | 49 ± 14 | < 0.001 |
Gait speed 30 m. (m/s) | |||
 Men | 1.3 ± 0.2 | 1.1 ± 0.2 | < 0.001 |
 Women | 1.3 ± 0.2 | 1.0 ± 0.2 | < 0.001 |
Arm circumference (cm) | |||
 Men | 30.2 ± 3.3 | 28.8 ± 3.4 | 0.004 |
 Women | 28.8 ± 3.5 | 27.7 ± 3.6 | 0.003 |
Medications (n) | 4.0 ± 3.4 | 5.6 ± 3.9 | < 0.001 |
Smoker (%) | |||
 Never | 41 | 48 | 0.04 |
 Former | 52 | 50 |  |
 Current | 7 | 3 |  |
Physical activity (%) | |||
 Sedentary | 2 | 6 | < 0.001 |
 Light to moderate | 11 | 34 |  |
 Active | 49 | 53 |  |
 Athletic | 38 | 7 |  |
Self-rated health (%) | |||
 Very good | 38 | 24 | 0.007 |
 Fair to good | 55 | 64 |  |
 Decent to bad | 7 | 11 |  |
 Very bad | 0 | 0 |  |
Education (%) | |||
 Primary | 12 | 45 | < 0.001 |
 Secondary or more | 88 | 55 |  |
Barthel index < 100 (%) | |||
 Need help | 14 | 25 | 0.002 |
Living alone (%) | 36 | 64 | < 0.001 |
Deceased, n (%) | 29 (3) | 24 (15) | < 0.001b |