Table 1

Characteristics of women in the Lupus Outcomes Study (LOS) and the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS)

Characteristic

LOS N = 685

CHIS N = 18,013

CHIS, with chronic conditions* N = 4,515

Sociodemographics

Age, mean (SD)

50.1 (12)

44.0 (16)

48.7 (28)

Race/Ethnicity, n (%)

Caucasian

468 (68)

13,544 (63)

3,464 (66)

Non-caucasian

217 (32)

4,469 (37)

1,051 (34)

Education, n (%)

<High school or High school graduate

95 (14)

4,810 (32)

1,384 (36)

Some college

322 (47)

5,522 (29)

1,535 (32)

College

268 (39)

7,681 (39)

1,596 (33)

Below Poverty, n (%)

No

602 (88)

4,068 (90)

16,812 (92)

Yes

83 (12)

447 (10)

1,201(8)

Health Care Access

Insurance, n (%)

Medicaid

33 (6)

849 (5)

338 (7)

Medicare

260 (38)

2,012 (7)

774 (13)

Private/Employer

392 (57)

15,152 (88)

3,403 (81)

Insurance category, n (%)

HMO and public insurance (Medicare or Medicaid)

61 (9)

230 (2)

68 (2)

HMO and private insurance

153 (22)

7,967 (52)

1,743 (47)

No HMO and public insurance (Medicare or Medicaid)

235 (34)

2,631 (10)

1,044 (17)

No HMO and private

242 (35)

7,185 (37)

1,660 (34)

Physicians

Generalist involved in health care, n (%)

557 (81)

Rheumatologist involved in health care, n (%)

573 (84)

Total number of physician visits in one year, mean (SD)

16.0 (10.4)

Health status

SLAQ score, mean (SD)

13.0 (8)

SF-36 Physical Function, mean (SD)

57.7 (29)

Contextual Factor

Neighborhood Poverty, n (%)

No

627 (92)

Yes

58 (8)

*Chronic conditions examined in CHIS include self-reported diabetes mellitus, asthma or heart disease.

Abbreviations: LOS, Lupus Outcomes Study; CHIS, California Health Interview Survey; HS, high school; SLAQ, Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire; SF-36, Short-Form 36 Health Survey; HMO, health maintenance organization.

Yazdany et al. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2010 12:R84   doi:10.1186/ar3011