Table 1.
Personal and baseline characteristics of patients with non-insulin treated type 2 diabetes before intervention, by randomisation group. Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Variables | Control group* (n=152) | Meter group; less intensive self monitoring (n=150) | Meter group; more intensive self monitoring (n=151) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal characteristics | |||
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 66.3 (10.2) | 65.2 (10.6) | 65.5 (9.9) |
| Men | 85 (55.9) | 88 (58.7) | 87 (57.6) |
| Occupational group: | |||
| Professional, managerial, and clerical | 80 (52.6) | 81 (54.0) | 84 (55.6) |
| Skilled manual or manual | 69 (45.4) | 68 (45.3) | 66 (43.7) |
| No occupation stated | 3 (2.0) | 1 (0.7) | 1 (0.7) |
| Age (years) at leaving full time education: | |||
| <17 | 109 (71.7) | 114 (76.0) | 121 (80.1) |
| 17 or 18 | 20 (13.2) | 14 (9.3) | 13 (8.6) |
| >18 | 23 (15.1) | 22 (14.7) | 17 (11.3) |
| Cigarette consumption: | |||
| Never smoked | 58 (38.2) | 54 (36.2) | 54 (35.8) |
| Former smoker | 80 (52.6) | 74 (49.7) | 77 (51.0) |
| Current smoker | 14 (9.2) | 21 (14.1) | 20 (13.2) |
| Duration of diabetes and treatment | |||
| Median (interquartile range) duration (years) of diabetes | 3 (2-6) | 3 (2-7) | 3 (2-6) |
| Treatment: | |||
| Diet only | 44 (28.9) | 39 (26.0) | 41 (27.2) |
| Monotherapy | 57 (37.5) | 58 (38.7) | 58 (38.4) |
| Combined oral therapy | 51 (33.6) | 53 (35.3) | 52 (34.4) |
| Presence of diabetes related complications | 32 (21.1) | 32 (21.3) | 39 (25.8) |
| Use of blood glucose meter: | |||
| Not using | 104 (68.4) | 110 (73.3) | 102 (67.5) |
| Using once weekly or less | 48 (31.6) | 40 (26.7) | 49 (32.5) |
| Physical and laboratory findings | |||
| Mean (SD) haemoglobin A1c (%) | 7.49 (1.09) | 7.41 (1.02) | 7.53 (1.12) |
| Mean (SD) total cholesterol level (mmol/l) | 4.7 (1.1) | 4.6 (1.1) | 4.7 (1.1) |
| Mean (SD) blood pressure (mm Hg): | |||
| Systolic | 140 (18) | 141 (17) | 137 (18) |
| Diastolic | 80 (10) | 80 (10) | 78 (10) |
| Mean (SD) body mass index | 30.9 (6.1) | 31.9 (6.2) | 31.0 (5.3) |
*No use of blood glucose meter.