Characteristics of participants at study start wave 2007 and at last wave 2017
| Characteristics (self-reported) | Expression | Participants LUCAS wave 2007% | Participants LUCAS wave 2017% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group size | Number | 2012 | 776 |
| Women | 63.1 | 61.9 | |
| Age at survey in years | Mean±SD | 76.2±6.5 | 82.8±4.6 |
| Education* | At least 10 years of school education (ISCED level 3 or 4) | 39.9 | 42.7 |
| Self-reported health† | Fair or poor | 39.0 | 43.0 |
| Heart disease‡ | Yes | 22.3 | 22.0 |
| Diabetes§ | Yes | 16.1 | 16.4 |
| Neurological disease¶ | Yes | 5.7 | 6.5 |
| Pain** | Yes | 40.4 | 49.1 |
| Urinary incontinence†† | Yes | 33.9 | 45.5 |
| Depressed mood‡‡,§§ | Yes | 11.7 | 13.5 |
| BADL¶¶,*** | Restricted | 6.8 | 8.1 |
| Functional competence according to LUCAS Functional Ability Index††† | Robust Postrobust Prefrail Frail‡‡‡ | 52.2 10.9 10.4 25.6 | 44.1 11.7 7.9 36.3 |
| Ride a bike§§§ | Yes | 45.7 | 31.2 |
| Access to parks/green space¶¶¶ | 5 or more | 62.6 | 65.6 |
| Body mass index | Overweight (≥27) | 37.6 | 36.8 |
*What type is your highest education degree you completed in school? highest degree (13 years of school education=ISCED level 4); medium degree (10–12 years of school education=ISCED level 3); basic degree (9 years of school education=ISCED level 2); degree in home economics (9 years of school education=ISCED level 2); no graduation (ISCED level 0); other (ISCED level 2); education was harmonised with the International Standard Classification of Education, ISCED.24
†In general would you say your health is: (very good; good; fair; poor).
‡Have you ever had angina pectoris or coronary heart disease or a heart attack? (no; yes).
§Do you have diabetes? (no; yes).
¶Do you suffer from a disease of the nervous system that causes uncontrolled tremor (eg, Parkinson’s disease) or a paralysis (eg, caused by a stroke) or a neurological disorder that causes disturbed coordination (eg, multiple sclerosis)? (no; yes).
**Do you have pain that never completely goes away? (no; yes).
††Are you having problems holding your urine? (no; yes).
‡‡During the last month have you felt so down in the dumps that nothing could cheer you up? (no; yes).
§§Predictor and event variable ‘depressed mood’.
¶¶Do you need help from someone else with any of the following? feeding yourself, getting to the toilet, dressing yourself, bathing yourself, moving from bed to chair or standing up (no, I do not need help from someone else; yes, I need help from someone else).
***Predictor and event variable ‘disability’/‘BADL dependency’.
†††Classification according to LUCAS functional index,19 n=17 (0.8%) were not classified due to missing marker questions in 2007.
‡‡‡Class FRAIL (3–6 frailty markers and 0–2 resources) as predictor and event variable ‘functional decline’/‘frailty’.19
§§§ Do you cycle? (no, never learnt; no, given up; yes, sometimes; yes, regularly at least once a week).
¶¶¶Number of different green spaces/parks which can be accessed (entrance) on footpath/street within 1250 meters distance from home address.
BADL, basic activities of daily living; LUCAS, Longitudinal Urban Cohort Ageing Study.