Table 2 General characteristics of participants and p-values for the differences between the groups
| Â | Accident & emergency department cohort | Not visiting the A&E department cohort | p-value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Â | (n=547) | (n=547) | Â |
Demographic | |||
Age in years, mean (sd) | 79.1 (6.7) | 79.1 (6.7) | 0.98 |
Female (%) | 69.8 | 69.8 | 1.00 |
Social status (%) | |||
Married/living together | 45.5 | 46.3 | Â |
Widowed/divorced | 41.1 | 43.9 | Â |
Single | 13.4 | 9.8 | Â |
| Â | Â | Â | 0.05 |
Living arrangements (%) | |||
Living independently without help | 49.0 | 56.7 | Â |
Living independently with help | 43.3 | 40.5 | Â |
Senior residence | 7.7 | 2.8 | Â |
| Â | Â | Â | < 0.01 |
Physical activity (%) | |||
Daily | 43.6 | 64.2 | Â |
Several times a week | 13.8 | 14.4 | Â |
Once a week | 8.8 | 5.9 | Â |
Once a month | 0.6 | 0.8 | Â |
(almost) never | 30.6 | 14.8 | Â |
Unknown | 2.6 | --- | Â |
| Â | Â | Â | < 0.01 |
Going outside | |||
Daily | 76.8 | 88.8 | Â |
Once a week | 13.3 | 8.6 | Â |
Once a month | 1.0 | 0.9 | Â |
Never | 8.9 | 1.7 | Â |
| Â | Â | Â | < 0.01 |
Self-reported health-related issues (%) | |||
Comorbid conditions | Â | Â | Â |
Diabetes mellitus | 16.6 | 14.1 | < 0.01 |
Stroke/cerebral infarction | 11.5 | 6.9 | < 0.01 |
Visual impairment | 28.9 | 21.9 | < 0.01 |
Cancer | 15.0 | 16.8 | < 0.01 |
Hypertension | 39.3 | 45.9 | < 0.01 |
Heart failure | 12.4 | 10.4 | < 0.01 |
Thyroid disease | 9.1 | 10.4 | < 0.01 |
Other | 68.6 | 70.7 | 0.25 |
Number of medications, median (quartiles) | 3 (2–5.5) | 1 (0–2) | < 0.01 |
Sleep medication (%) | 5.4 | 7.3 | 0.23 |
Sedative and psychoactive (%) | 9.8 | 4.9 | < 0.01 |
Antidiuretic (%) | 30.1 | 19.2 | < 0.01 |
Antihypertensive (%) | 39.9 | 32.4 | 0.02 |
Use of alcohol (%) | 45.0 | 59.8 | < 0.01 |
Smoking (%) | 15.4 | 8.4 | < 0.01 |
Falls and mobility (%) | |||
More than one fall in the last 12 months | 57.3 | 45.3 | < 0.01 |
Difficulty walking | 42.9 | 42.0 | 0.77 |
Use of walking aid | 38.5 | 28.0 | < 0.01 |
Psychological parameters | |||
VAS-Fear of Falling, median (quartiles) | 3 (1–7) | 3 (1–4) | 0.03 |