Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of 638 participants with chronic low back pain (LBP) by treatment group
| Treatment Group | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | Individualized acupuncture (n=157) |
Standardized acupuncture (n=158) |
Simulated acupuncture (n=162) |
Usual care (n=161) |
Total (n=638) |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 47 (13) | 49 (13) | 47 (14) | 46 (13) | 47 (13) |
| Female, % | 68 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 62 |
| White, % | 67 | 69 | 72 | 65 | 68 |
| Hispanic origin, % | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| College graduate, % | 49 | 57 | 56 | 51 | 53 |
| Married, % | 55 | 60 | 61 | 60 | 59 |
| Annual household income ≥$45,000, % | 71 | 71 | 67 | 75 | 71 |
| Employed, % | 78 | 80 | 78 | 81 | 79 |
| Chronic pain for at least 1 year, % | 69 | 74 | 60 | 70 | 68 |
| Pain days in last 3 months, mean (SD) | 68 (26) | 74 (22) | 70 (24) | 74 (23) | 71 (24) |
| Pain below knee, % | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Reduced activity ≥ 7 days in last 3 months due to LBP, % |
29 | 23 | 22 | 27 | 25 |
| Reduced activity on > 7 days in last 4 weeks due to LBP, % |
27 | 25 | 20 | 28 | 25 |
| Kept in bed or lying down ≥ day in last 4 weeks due to LBP, % |
17 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 21 |
| Kept from work/school for ≥1 day in last 4 weeks due to LBP, % |
19 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 21 |
| SF-36 Physical Health scale score, mean (SD) |
41 (9) | 42 (8) | 42 (8) | 42 (8) | 42 (8) |
| SF-36 Mental Health scale score, mean (SD) |
53 (8) | 54 (8) | 54 (7) | 53 (8) | 53 (8) |
| Symptom bothersomeness in past week (0–10 scale), mean (SD) |
5.0 (2.4) | 5.0 (2.3) | 4.9 (2.3) | 5.4 (2.3) | 5.1 (2.3) |
| Roland disability score (0–23 scale), mean (SD) |
10.8 (5.2) | 10.8 (5.5) | 9.8 (5.1) | 11.0 (5.1) | 10.6 (5.2) |
| Any medication use in past week, % | 62 | 62 | 63 | 65 | 63 |
| Expect at least moderate improvement in LBP in 1 year, % |
43 | 46 | 48 | 49 | 46 |
| Expectation of acupuncture helpfulness (0–10 scale), mean (SD) |
6.6 (1.8) | 6.5 (1.8) | 6.7 (1.9) | 7.0 (1.8) | 6.7 (1.8) |