Descriptive characteristics of CLSA participants who completed the COVID-19 exit survey (September–December 2020)
| Characteristic | No. (%) of participants n = 23 972 |
|---|---|
| Measured at baseline (2011–2015) | |
| Sex | |
| Female | 12743 (53.2) |
| Male | 11229 (46.8) |
| Racial background | |
| White | 23273 (97.2) |
| Not white | 673 (2.8) |
| Missing | 26 |
| Immigrant status | |
| Immigrant | 3789 (15.8) |
| Nonimmigrant | 20173 (84.2) |
| Missing | 10 |
| Education | |
| < Secondary school | 1101 (4.6) |
| Secondary school | 2349 (9.8) |
| Some postsecondary | 1719 (7.2) |
| Postsecondary degree or diploma | 18756 (78.4) |
| Missing | 47 |
| Measured at first follow-up (2015–2018) | |
| Household income, $ | |
| < 20 000 | 861 (3.8) |
| 20 000–49 999 | 4855 (21.4) |
| 50 000–99 999 | 8569 (37.9) |
| 100 000–149 999 | 4589 (20.3) |
| ≥ 150 000 | 3758 (16.6) |
| Missing | 1340 |
| Marital status | |
| Single, never married or never lived with a partner | 2007 (8.4) |
| Married or living with a partner | 16833 (70.3) |
| Widowed | 2332 (9.7) |
| Divorced or separated | 2785 (11.6) |
| Missing | 15 |
| Unmet needs (prepandemic) | |
| Yes | 1874 (7.8) |
| No | 22060 (92.2) |
| Missing | 38 |
| Measured at COVID-19 baseline (April–May 2020) | |
| Age, yr | |
| < 50 | 0 (0.0) |
| 50–54 | 1097 (4.6) |
| 55–64 | 7250 (30.2) |
| 65–74 | 8759 (36.5) |
| 75–84 | 5145 (21.5) |
| 85–96 | 1721 (7.2) |
| Region* | |
| Atlantic | 4334 (18.0) |
| Prairies | 5130 (21.4) |
| Ontario | 5554 (23.2) |
| Quebec | 4336 (18.1) |
| British Columbia | 4618 (19.3) |
| Urban or rural | |
| Rural area | 4245 (17.8) |
| Urban area | 19 602 (82.2) |
| Missing | 125 |
| Dwelling type | |
| House | 18625 (77.8) |
| Apartment or condominium | 4410 (18.4) |
| Other | 907 (3.8) |
| Missing | 30 |
| Chronic conditions | |
| Present | 14 235 (59.7) |
| Absent | 9594 (40.3) |
| Missing | 143 |
| Work status | |
| Usually work outside the home | 6273 (26.6) |
| Do not work outside the home | 17 357 (73.4) |
| Missing | 342 |
| Measured at COVID-19 exit survey (September–December 2020) | |
| Any challenges in accessing health care | |
| Yes | 5992 (25.3) |
| No | 17 759 (74.7) |
| Missing | 221 |
| Did not go to the hospital or to see a doctor even though they needed to | |
| Yes | 1776 (7.5) |
| No | 21989 (92.5) |
| Missing | 207 |
| Experienced barriers to accessing testing for COVID-19 | |
| Yes | 917 (3.9) |
| No | 22828 (96.1) |
| Missing | 227 |
Note: CLSA = Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.
↵* Atlantic: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick; Prairies: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba.