Table 3.
Clinical efficacy of SF versus NF after period 1
| SF (n = 15) | NF (n = 20) | Difference of means (95% CI)* | RR (95% CI)** | P-value | |
| Defecation frequency (mean ± SD) | 4.9 ± 2.5 | 5.6 ± 2.8 | 0.7 (-0.8–2.3) | 0.36 | |
| Improvement of hard to soft stools (n) | 50% (5/10) | 90% (9/10) | 1.8 (0.9–3.5) | 0.14 | |
| No painful defecation (n) | 33% (5/15) | 35% (7/20) | 1.0 (0.4–2.7) | 0.92 | |
| No abdominal or rectal mass (n) | 93% (14/15) | 90% (18/20) | 1.0 (0.8–1.2) | 0.73 |
* ANCOVA; ** χ2 tests