Table 2 Distribution of personal and social characteristics in the study sample
| Personal and social characteristics |
Overall n = 284 Percentage (n) |
|---|---|
| Proxy of healthcare need | |
| Chronic illness burden, % (n) | |
| Number self-reported chronic illnesses: | |
| 0 | 17.3% (49) |
| 1–2 | 25.4% (72) |
| 3–5 | 28.5% (81) |
| 6+ | 28.9% (82) |
| Demographic & personal characteristics | |
| Mean age, y (SD) | 54.4 (16.3) |
| Female, % (n) | 63.0% (179) |
| Immigrant status, % (n) | |
| Native born | 70.7% (188) |
| Old immigrants | 25.6% (68) |
| New immigrants (< 10 years) | 3.8% (10) |
| Language spoken at home, % (n) | |
| Dominant language1 | 89.9% (249) |
| Other language only | 10.1% (28) |
| Indigenous or Aboriginal, % (n) | 6.7% (19) |
| Social vulnerability characteristics (in order of increasing vulnerability) | |
| Self-perceived financial status, % (n) | |
| Comfortable | 32.5% (88) |
| Moderate | 42.4% (115) |
| Poor or very tight | 25.1% (68) |
| Highest education level, % (n) | |
| Post-secondary | 61.1% (154) |
| High school | 24.6% (62) |
| Less than high school | 14.3% (36) |
|
Risk of social isolation2, % (n) Persons for social support: | |
| Low (5–6 persons) | 64.7% (161) |
| Medium (3–4 persons) | 18.9% (47) |
| High (0–2 persons) | 16.5% (41) |
| Sum of social vulnerabilities | |
| Sum of social vulnerabilities | |
| Sum of social vulnerability indicators: Indigenous or Aboriginal, new immigrant, financially poor, low education level, high risk of social isolation | |
| Mean (SD) | 0.65 (0.78) |
| Median, 25th, 75th | 0, 0 |
| Percent with sum of 2+ | 12.7% (34) |