Characteristics of the sample, HAALSI, Agincourt subdistrict, Mpumalanga, South Africa, 2014–2019
| Characteristic | N (%) | Mean (SD) SSP |
| 3771 (100%) | 6.6 (2.3) | |
| Demographic characteristics | ||
| Age | ||
| Mean (SD) | 60.1 (12.2) | −0.10* |
| P value | <0.0001 | |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 1657 (43) | 6.66 (2.35) |
| Female | 2114 (56) | 6.53 (2.19) |
| P value | – | 0.08 |
| Country of birth | ||
| South Africa | 2648 (70) | 6.83 (2.24) |
| Mozambique or other | 1123 (30) | 6.01 (2.20) |
| P value | – | <0.0001 |
| Socioeconomic and social characteristics | ||
| Skill level of father’s main job during childhood | ||
| Skill level 1 (unskilled manual labour) | 1095 (29) | 6.63 (2.22) |
| Skill level 2 (mining or service sector work) | 1677 (45) | 6.57 (2.24) |
| Skill level 3 (traditional healers and small business assistants) | 113 (3) | 6.69 (2.13) |
| Skill level 4 (professional or managerial work) | 108 (3) | 6.29 (2.25) |
| Other | 408 (11) | 7.04 (2.43) |
| Don’t know | 370 (10) | 6.07 (2.25) |
| P value | <0.0001 | |
| Education | ||
| No formal education | 1605 (43) | 6.20 (2.24) |
| Some primary (1–7 years) | 1343 (36) | 6.65 (2.20) |
| Some secondary (8–11 years) | 464 (12) | 6.88 (2.30) |
| Secondary or more (≥12 years) | 359 (10) | 7.66 (2.11) |
| P value | <0.0001 | |
| Self-reported literacy | ||
| Can read and write | 2061 (55) | 6.89 (2.23) |
| Cannot read and/or write | 1710 (45) | 6.21 (2.25) |
| P value | <0.0001 | |
| Marital status | ||
| Married or living as married | 2024 (54) | 6.79 (2.27) |
| Never married | 181 (5) | 6.70 (2.43) |
| Separated/deserted | 319 (8) | 6.09 (2.15) |
| Divorced | 158 (4) | 6.50 (2.23) |
| Widowed | 1089 (29) | 6.33 (2.21) |
| P value | <0.0001 | |
| Employment status | ||
| Employed part or full-time | 657 (17) | 6.87 (2.24) |
| Not working | 2695 (71) | 6.50 (2.28) |
| Homemaker | 419 (11) | 6.67 (2.11) |
| P value | 0.0004 | |
| Household asset quintile | ||
| 1 (poorest) | 732 (19) | 5.84 (2.30) |
| 2 | 735 (19) | 6.33 (2.23) |
| 3 | 740 (20) | 6.63 (2.23) |
| 4 | 781 (21) | 6.88 (2.19) |
| 5 (richest) | 783 (21) | 7.18 (2.15) |
| P value | <0.0001 | |
| Health-related characteristics | ||
| Self-rated health today, compared with year ago | ||
| Much worse | 95 (3) | 6.58 (2.70) |
| Worse | 546 (14) | 6.17 (2.19) |
| Same | 2290 (61) | 6.70 (2.25) |
| Better | 612 (16) | 6.34 (2.24) |
| Much better | 228 (6) | 7.07 (2.24) |
| P value | <0.0001 | |
| Alcohol intake frequency | ||
| <5 days per week | 3553 (94) | 6.61 (2.27) |
| ≥5 days per week | 218 (6) | 6.13 (2.14) |
| P value | 0.002 | |
| Presence of depressive symptoms | ||
| Yes | 619 (16) | 5.78 (2.19) |
| No | 3152 (84) | 6.74 (2.24) |
| P value | <0.0001 | |
| Diabetes | ||
| Yes | 382 (10) | 6.54 (2.18) |
| No | 3131 (83) | 6.58 (2.27) |
| Unknown | 258 (7) | 6.74 (2.23) |
| P value | 0.472 | |
| Hypertension | ||
| Yes | 2347 (62) | 6.61 (2.24) |
| No | 1379 (37) | 6.55 (2.29) |
| Unknown | 45 (1) | 6.51 (2.67) |
| P value | 0.748 | |
P values are estimated from t-tests for binary covariates, one-way ANOVA for categorical covariates and Pearson’s correlation for continuous covariates.
*Estimate shown is a Pearson’s correlation coefficient.
ANOVA, analysis of variance; HAALSI, Health and Ageing in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa; SSP, subjective social position.