Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes allocated to usual care (control) or to a structured group education programme. Values are means (standard deviations) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Control group (n=387) | Intervention group (n=437) |
|---|---|---|
| Mean (range) age (years) | 60.0 (29-87) | 59.0 (28-87) |
| % (No) women* | 43 (168) | 47 (204) |
| % (No) white European | 94 (327) | 94 (398) |
| Haemoglobin A1c* | 7.9 (2.0) | 8.3 (2.2) |
| Body weight (kg) | 91.6 (20.2) | 91.8 (19.2) |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l) | 5.4 (1.2) | 5.4 (1.4) |
| High density lipoprotein cholesterol (mmol/l) | 1.2 (0.4) | 1.2 (0.5) |
| Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (mmol/l) | 3.3 (1.1) | 3.1 (1.1) |
| Triglycerides (mmol/l) | 2.5 (1.7) | 2.6 (2.4) |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 140.0 (16.6) | 141.1 (18.5) |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 81.0 (10.5) | 82.4 (10.5) |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 106.6 (13.6) | 105.6 (14.7) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 32.4 (6.5) | 32.3 (6.1) |
| % (No) smokers | 16 (53) | 14 (57) |
| % (No) prescribed oral hypoglycaemic agents*† | 12 (47) | 17 (94) |
*Groups differed significantly for sex, haemoglobin A1c level, and use of oral hypoglycaemic agents (P<0.05).
†Metformin, sulphonlyureas, or glitazone.