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Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the study population, by 10-year multimorbidity incidence (N = 1967) 

From: Incidence and predictors of multimorbidity among older adults in Korea: a 10-year cohort study

Variables

Mean ± SD or n (%)

P-value*

All participants (N = 1967)

Multimorbidity incidence

Yes (n = 625)

No (n = 1342)

Sociodemographic characteristics

 Age

72.94 ± 6.42

71.98 ± 5.36

73.38 ± 6.82

 < 0.001

 

65–74

1311 (66.6)

446 (71.4)

865 (64.4)

 < 0.001

 

75–84

527 (26.8)

161 (25.7)

366 (27.3)

 
 

85–

129 (6.6)

18 (2.9)

111 (8.3)

 

 Gender

Male

894 (45.5)

299 (47.8)

595 (44.3)

0.146

Female

1073 (54.5)

326 (52.2)

747 (55.7)

 

 Education level

No formal education

660 (33.6)

184 (29.4)

476 (35.5)

0.021

Elementary school

677 (34.4)

221 (35.4)

456 (34.0)

 

Middle school or above

630 (32.0)

220 (35.2)

410 (30.5)

 

 Marital status

Married

1335 (67.9)

454 (72.6)

881 (65.6)

0.002

Single or other

632 (32.1)

171 (27.4)

461 (34.4)

 

 Living arrangement

Single-person households

296 (15.0)

84 (13.4)

212 (15.8)

0.173

Multiple-person households

1671 (85.0)

541 (86.6)

1130 (84.2)

 

 Working status

Working

539 (27.4)

182 (29.1)

357 (26.6)

0.244

None

1428 (72.6)

443 (70.9)

985 (73.4)

 

Annual personal income (10,000 Korean Won)

694.48 ± 885.02

653.6 2 ± 751.50

713.50 ± 940.42

0.130

Lifestyle

 BMI

Underweight

136 (6.9)

30 (4.8)

106 (7.9)

 < 0.001

Normal

1013 (51.5)

291 (46.6)

722 (53.8)

 

Overweight

513 (26.1)

170 (27.2)

343 (25.6)

 

Obese

305 (15.5)

134 (21.4)

171 (12.7)

 

 Physical activity

Yes

612 (31.1)

215 (34.4)

397 (29.6)

0.032

No

1355 (68.9)

410 (65.6)

945 (70.4)

 

 Smoking

Current

330 (16.8)

100 (16.0)

230 (17.1)

0.003

Past

278 (14.1)

113 (18.1)

165 (12.3)

 

Never

1359 (69.1)

412 (65.9)

947 (70.6)

 

 Drinking

Current

607 (30.9)

211 (33.7)

396 (29.5)

 < 0.001

Past

219 (11.1)

88 (14.1)

131 (9.8)

 

Never

1141 (58.0)

326 (52.2)

815 (60.7)

 

Psychosocial factors

 Depressive symptoms (0–10)

4.16 ± 2.96

4.24 ± 2.93

4.13 ± 2.97

0.441

 Participation in social meeting

Yes

1339 (68.1)

418 (66.9)

921 (68.6)

0.439

No

628 (31.9)

207 (33.1)

421 (31.4)

 

 Level of social interaction

High

1360 (69.2)

407 (65.1)

953 (71.0)

0.003

Moderate

327 (16.6)

105 (16.8)

222 (16.5)

 

Low

280 (14.2)

113 (18.1)

167 (12.5)

 

No. of chronic diseases

 0

 

927 (47.1)

163 (26.1)

764 (56.9)

 < 0.001

 1

 

1040 (52.9)

462 (73.9)

578 (43.1)

 
  1. BMI body mass index, No. number, SD standard deviation
  2. *Independent t-test or chi-square test