Sociodemographic factors, health behaviours and health-related quality of life for all study participants and by social isolation subgroup
| Variable | No. (%) of participants | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| All participants n = 806 | Not socially isolated* n = 645 | Socially isolated† n = 161 | |
| Demographics | |||
| Gender | |||
| Male | 197 (24.4) | 154 (23.9) | 43 (26.7) |
| Female | 609 (75.6) | 491 (76.1) | 118 (73.3) |
| Age, yr | |||
| 55–64 | 124 (15.4) | 107 (16.6) | 17 (10.6) |
| 65–84 | 517 (64.1) | 407 (63.1) | 110 (68.3) |
| ≥ 85 | 153 (19.0) | 124 (19.2) | 29 (18.0) |
| No response | 12 (1.5) | 7 (1.1) | 5 (3.1) |
| Ethnicity | |||
| White | 603 (74.8) | 480 (74.4) | 123 (76.4) |
| Other | 203 (25.2) | 165 (25.6) | 38 (23.6) |
| Education | |||
| Some high school or less | 357 (44.3) | 293 (45.4) | 64 (39.8) |
| High school diploma | 185 (23.0) | 151 (23.4) | 34 (21.1) |
| Any postsecondary education | 250 (31.0) | 192 (29.8) | 58 (36.0) |
| No response | 14 (1.7) | 9 (1.4) | 5 (3.1) |
| Marital status | |||
| Divorced | 154 (19.1) | 111 (17.2) | 43 (26.7) |
| Common-law | 12 (1.5) | 5 (0.8) | 7 (4.3) |
| Married | 155 (19.2) | 140 (21.7) | 15 (9.3) |
| Separated | 40 (5.0) | 27 (4.2) | 13 (8.1) |
| Single, never married | 95 (11.8) | 68 (10.5) | 27 (16.8) |
| Widowed | 310 (38.5) | 259 (40.2) | 51 (31.7) |
| No response | 40 (5.0) | 35 (5.4) | 5 (3.1) |
| Lives alone | 625 (77.5) | 489 (75.8) | 136 (84.5) |
| No response | 6 (0.7) | 5 (0.8) | 1 (0.6) |
| Ontario region‡ | |||
| South West | 292 (36.2) | 223 (34.6) | 69 (42.9) |
| Central West | 272 (33.7) | 229 (35.5) | 43 (26.7) |
| South East | 125 (15.5) | 97 (15.0) | 28 (17.4) |
| North East | 117 (14.5) | 96 (14.9) | 21 (13.0) |
| Income insecure | 120 (14.9) | 73 (11.3) | 47 (29.2) |
| No response | 2 (0.2) | 1 (0.2) | 1 (0.6) |
| Has a family doctor | 722 (89.6) | 573 (88.8) | 149 (92.5) |
| Chronic cardiometabolic disease | |||
| Had a stroke or TIA | 134 (16.6) | 102 (15.8) | 32 (19.9) |
| No response | 4 (0.5) | 4 (0.6) | 0 (0.0) |
| Had a heart attack | 101 (12.5) | 78 (12.1) | 23 (14.3) |
| No response | 3 (0.4) | 2 (0.3) | 1 (0.6) |
| History of hypertension | 558 (69.2) | 457 (70.9) | 101 (62.7) |
| No response | 8 (1.0) | 6 (0.9) | 2 (1.2) |
| History of hyperlipidemia | 452 (56.1) | 369 (57.2) | 83 (51.6) |
| No response | 4 (0.5) | 2 (0.3) | 2 (1.2) |
| Has diabetes | 251 (31.1) | 188 (29.1) | 63 (39.1) |
| No response | 4 (0.5) | 3 (0.5) | 1 (0.6) |
| Health behaviours | |||
| Low physical activity | 322 (40.0) | 234 (36.3) | 88 (54.7) |
| No response | 7 (0.9) | 6 (0.9) | 1 (0.6) |
| Alcohol drinker | 43 (5.3) | 29 (4.5) | 14 (8.7) |
| No response | 8 (1.0) | 7 (1.1) | 1 (0.6) |
| Current smoker | 117 (14.5) | 77 (11.9) | 40 (24.8) |
| No response | 8 (1.0) | 6 (0.9) | 2 (1.2) |
| High BMI (overweight or obese) | 525 (65.1) | 425 (65.9) | 100 (62.1) |
| No response | 64 (7.9) | 50 (7.8) | 14 (8.7) |
| Health status and quality of life | |||
| Self-reported poor to fair health | 254 (31.5) | 180 (27.9) | 74 (46.0) |
| No response | 5 (0.6) | 4 (0.6) | 1 (0.6) |
| Mobility problems | 411 (51.0) | 319 (49.5) | 92 (57.1) |
| No response | 7 (0.9) | 3 (0.5) | 4 (2.5) |
| Self-care problems | 151 (18.7) | 105 (16.3) | 46 (28.6) |
| No response | 9 (1.1) | 4 (0.6) | 5 (3.1) |
| Problems doing usual activities | 260 (32.3) | 185 (28.7) | 75 (46.6) |
| No response | 6 (0.7) | 4 (0.6) | 2 (1.2) |
| Pain or discomfort | 511 (63.4) | 396 (61.4) | 115 (71.4) |
| No response | 6 (0.7) | 4 (0.6) | 2 (1.2) |
| Anxiety or depression | 386 (47.9) | 255 (39.5) | 114 (70.8) |
| No response | 18 (2.2) | 13 (2.0) | 5 (3.1) |
| Social isolation | |||
| Isolated | 204 (25.3) | 59 (9.1) | 145 (90.1) |
| Left out | 227 (28.2) | 75 (11.7) | 152 (94.4) |
| Lacks companionship | 295 (36.6) | 142 (22.0) | 153 (95.1) |
Note: BMI = body mass index, TIA = transient ischemic attack.
↵* Subjective social isolation (loneliness) score less than 6.
↵† Subjective social isolation (loneliness) score of 6 or greater.
↵‡ South West: Grey County, Guelph, Halton Region, Hamilton, Norfolk Region. Central West: Peel Region, York Region. South East: Frontenac County, Hastings Region. North East: Hearst, Iroquois Falls, Matheson, Sudbury, Timmins.