Table 1 Demographic, social and behavioral characteristics of the study population (n = 6073) by continuum of happiness-sadness
From: Happy people live longer because they are healthy people
| Â | Variable | Â | Level of Happiness | Â | Age, sex, ethnicity adjusted p | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  | Full sample | Very Happy (n = 1072) | Fairly Happy (n = 3652) | Neither (n = 1183) | Fairly Sad (n = 87) | Very Sad (n = 21) | F/X2 | p | ||
Demographic | Age | 66.6 ± 7.8 | 65.7 ± 7.7 | 66.7 ± 7.7 | 67.1 ± 8.1 | 68.1 ± 8.7 | 65.4 ± 10.6 | 5.92 |  < .001 |  < .001 |
Female sex | 62.8 (3815) | 60.7 (651) | 64.3 (2348) | 61.4 (726) | 51.7 (45) | 57.1 (12) | 11.35 |  < .001 | .022 | |
Ethnicity | Chinese | 89.9 (5454) | 88.2 (945) | 92.2 (3365) | 85.6 (1012) | 77.0 (67) | 76.2 (16) | 88.18 |  < .001 |  < .001 |
Malay | 6.0 (363) | 5.8 (62) | 4.5 (165) | 9.8 (116) | 11.5 (10) | 19.0 (4) | ||||
Indian and other | 4.1 (252) | 5.9 (64) | 3.3 (120) | 4.6 (54) | 11.4 (10) | 4.8 (1) | ||||
Highest education | No education | 20.0 (1214) | 16.2 (17.3) | 20.5 (748) | 21.8 (258) | 19.5 (17) | 23.8 (5) | 144.28 |  < .001 |  < .001 |
Primary | 38.2 (2314) | 27.1 (289) | 40.1 (1461) | 41.1 (485) | 52.9 (46) | 52.4 (11) | ||||
Secondary/ITE | 30.7 (1859) | 39.6 (423) | 28.8 (1049) | 29.5 (348) | 20.7 (18) | 19.0 (4) | ||||
Post-Secondary | 11.1 (672) | 17.1 (183) | 10.6 (386) | 7.6 (90) | 6.9 (6) | 4.8 (1) | ||||
Housing type | 1–2 room HDB | 15.6 (937) | 13.3 (142) | 12.4 (450) | 24.0 (281) | 50.6 (42) | 50.0 (10) | 252.69 |  < .001 |  < .001 |
3-room HDB | 26.4 (1585) | 23.0 (245) | 26.7 (966) | 29.1 (341) | 16.9 (14) | 40.0 (8) | ||||
4–5 room HDB | 41.0 (2462) | 40.6 (433) | 43.6 (1577) | 35.6 (416) | 25.3 (21) | 10.0 (2) | ||||
Others | 17.1 (1026) | 23.1 (247) | 17.2 (622) | 11.3 (132) | 7.2 (6) | - | ||||
Marital status | Single | 7.6 (463) | 7.1 (76) | 6.1 (221) | 12.3 (145) | 10.3 (9) | 28.6 (6) | 141.28 |  < .001 |  < .001 |
Married | 68.6 (4157) | 73.1 (783) | 70.9 (2583) | 59.3 (701) | 55.2 (48) | 33.3 ((7) | ||||
Divorced/Separated | 4.6 (279) | 4.3 (46) | 3.8 (138) | 6.3 (75) | 16.1 (14) | 14.3 (3) | ||||
Widowed | 19.2 (1165) | 15.5 (166) | 19.3 (703) | 22.1 (262) | 18.4 (16) | 23.8 (5) | ||||
Social support | Live alone | 7.2 (402) | 7.4 (73) | 6.6 (220) | 8.3 (92) | 9.5 (8) | 21.1 (4) | 10.14 | .038 | .07 |
Instrumental support score (0–13) | 25.5 (1550) | 18.9 (203) | 22.2 (811) | 37.7 (446) | 63.2 (55) | 81.0 (17) | 258.82 |  < .001 |  < .001 | |
(14–15) | 36.4 (2208) | 34.1 (366) | 38.8 (1418) | 32.5 (385) | 20.7 (18) | 9.5 (2) | ||||
(16–17) | 38.1 (2315) | 46.9 (503) | 39.0 (1423) | 29.8 (352) | 16.1 (14) | 9.5 (2) | ||||
Lifestyle | Smoking: Non-smoker | 79.8 (4844) | 78.9 (846) | 79.7 (2911) | 80.8 (956) | 79.3 (69) | 95.2 (20) | 5.38 | .72 | .53 |
Past smoker | 11.7 (712) | 11.8 (127) | 12.0 (437) | 10.9 (129) | 12.6 (11) | 4.8 (1) | ||||
Current smoker | 8.5 (517) | 9.2 (99) | 8.3 (304) | 8.3 (98) | 8.0 (7) | - | ||||
Alcohol: Never or rarely | 92.2 (5558) | 91.6 (976) | 92.2 (3343) | 93.0 (1090) | 89.7 (78) | 85.7 (18) | 7.36 | .50 | .58 | |
Sometimes | 4.3 (259) | 4.6 (49) | 4.4 (159) | 3.8 (44) | 3.4 (3) | 4.8 (1) | ||||
Often | 3.5 (210) | 3.8 (41) | 3.4 (122) | 3.2 (38) | 6.9 (6) | 9.5 (2) | ||||
Physical activity score | 2.3 ± 1.8 | 2.7 ± 1.9 | 2.4 ± 1.7 | 2.0 ± 1.6 | 1.6 ± 1.5 | 1.3 ± 1.1 | 26.64 |  < .001 |  < .001 | |
Social activity score | 3.0 ± 2.4 | 3.5 ± 2.5 | 3.1 ± 2.4 | 2.6 ± 2.4 | 1.9 ± 1.8 | 2.1 ± 1.6 | 22.58 |  < .001 |  < .001 | |
Productive activity score | 3.8 ± 1.9 | 4.1 ± 2.0 | 3.9 ± 1.9 | 3.5 ± 1.9 | 2.8 ± 1.9 | 2.7 ± 1.7 | 19.26 |  < .001 |  < .001 | |
Healthy lifestyle index | 9.7 ± 1.97 | 10.1 ± 1.8 | 9.8 ± 2.0 | 9.3 ± 2.0 | 8.6 ± 2.3 | 8.0 ± 2.1 | 30.83 |  < .001 |  < .001 | |