Table 1.
Participant characteristics (N=76).
| Characteristics | Control group (n=38) | Experimental group (n=38) | Statistical test (t test or chi-square test; df) | P value | |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 60.79 (9.63) | 60.63 (10.29) | 0.06 (74)a | .95 | |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean (SD) | 21.04 (4.19) | 21.93 (4.24) | 0.92 (74)a | .36 | |
| Sex, n (%) | 1.84 (1)b | .18 | |||
|
|
Female | 7 (18) | 3 (8) |
|
|
|
|
Male | 31 (82) | 35 (92) |
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|
| Chemotherapy, n (%) | 33 (87) | 34 (90) | 0.126 (1)b | .72 | |
| Radiotherapy, n (%) | 34 (90) | 34 (90) | 0 (1)b | >.99 | |
| Caregiving responsibility, n (%) | 4.41 (2)b | .11 | |||
|
|
Spouse | 24 (63) | 15 (40) |
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|
|
|
Child or grandchild | 10 (26) | 15 (40) |
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|
|
|
Other | 4 (11) | 8 (21) |
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|
| Patient education, n (%) | 2.65 (4)b | .62 | |||
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Illiterate | 2 (5) | 1 (3) |
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|
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Primary school | 5 (13) | 7 (18) |
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|
|
Junior high school | 11 (29) | 7 (18) |
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|
|
|
Senior high school | 20 (53) | 22 (58) |
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|
|
|
Undergraduate or higher | 0 (0) | 1 (3) |
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|
| Caregiver education (n=71), n (%) | 6.62 (5)b | .20 | |||
|
|
Illiterate | 1 (3) | 0 (0) |
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|
|
|
Primary school | 2 (5) | 0 (0) |
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|
|
|
Junior high school | 5 (14) | 2 (6) |
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|
|
|
Senior high school | 17 (46) | 14 (41) |
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|
|
|
Undergraduate | 11 (30) | 13 (38) |
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|
|
|
Graduate school or higher | 1 (3) | 5 (15) |
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|
| NGc used, n (%) | 12 (32) | 12 (32) | 0 (1)b | >.99 | |
at test.
bChi-square test.
cNG: nasogastric.