Table 2.
Characteristics of participants at beginning of study, by treatment group. Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Nurse group (n=1028) | Control group (n=808) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||
| Age (years): | ||
| <70 | 354 (34.4) | 256 (31.7) |
| 70-77 | 359 (34.9) | 290 (35.9) |
| >77 | 315 (30.6) | 262 (32.4) |
| Male | 588 (57.2) | 456 (56.4) |
| Accommodation: | ||
| Free living | 916 (89.1) | 716 (88.6) |
| Sheltered | 47 (4.6) | 41 (5.1) |
| Institution | 65 (6.3) | 51 (6.3) |
| Free living, with main carer | 631 (61.4) | 489 (60.5) |
| Manual social class | 462 (44.9) | 382 (47.3) |
| Health measures | ||
| Years since diagnosis*: | ||
| 0-4 | 517 (50.3) | 400 (49.5) |
| 5-9 | 211 (20.5) | 183 (22.6) |
| >9 | 247 (24.0) | 187 (23.1) |
| Stand-up group†: | ||
| 1, no problems | 453 (46) | 344 (42.6) |
| 2, without holding on | 187 (18.2) | 155 (19.2) |
| 3, unable or had to hold on | 353 (34.3) | 299 (37.0) |
| Bone fracture in past 12 months | 55 (5.4) | 50 (6.2) |
| Mean (SD) best hand score‡ | 45.6 (21.7) | 45.0 (21.8) |
| Drugs: | ||
| Levodopa | 869 (84.5) | 695 (86.0) |
| Levodopa and anticholinergic | 98 (9.5) | 62 (7.7) |
| Levodopa and dopamine agonist | 84 (8.2) | 45 (5.6) |
| Levodopa (mg daily), median (quartiles) | 300 (150, 550) | 300 (150, 500) |
| Mean (SD) Euroqol score | 0.43 (0.35) | 0.43 (0.36) |
| Mean (SD) PDQ-39 summary score | 37.9 (21.8) | 38.2 (21.8) |
*
Missing data as some patients unaware of time since diagnosis.
†
Missing data as some patients refused test.
‡
Dot in square test.