TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants by treatment group
| Characteristic | Control Group n=103 | Intervention group n=92 | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age in years—mean (SD) | 52.6 | (15.4%) | 51.4 | (15.1%) | 0.59 |
| Women | 50 | (48.5%) | 56 | (60.9%) | 0.10 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) – mean (SD) | 27.0 | (4.1%) | 26.7 | (4.5%) | 0.61 |
| Diagnoses of diabetes | 8 | (7.8%) | 7 | (7.6%) | 0.97 |
| Prescribed aspirin, clopidogrel and/or inhaled steroids | 16 | (15.5%) | 9 | (9.8%) | 0.23 |
| Smoking status | 0.28 | ||||
| Ex-smoker | 33 | (32.0%) | 27 | (29.3%) | |
| Current smoker | 9 | (8.7%) | 15 | (16.3%) | |
| Level of activity at work | 0.28 | ||||
| Not working | 43 | (41.7%) | 32 | (34.8%) | |
| Sedentary occupation | 39 | (37.9%) | 30 | (32.6%) | |
| Moderate bending/ lifting | 12 | (11.7%) | 16 | (17.4%) | |
| Strenuous bending/ lifting | 9 | (8.7%) | 14 | (15.2%) | |
| Histology of skin lesion | 0.12 | ||||
| Basal cell carcinoma | 42 | (40.8%) | 44 | (47.8%) | |
| Sqamous cell carcinoma | 5 | (4.9%) | 9 | (9.8%) | |
| Cutaneous melanoma | 11 | (11.3%) | 6 | (6.5%) | |
| Dysplastic naevus | 34 | (32.0%) | 27 | (29.3%) | |
| Other naevus | 3 | (3.0%) | 5 | (5.4%) | |
| Other lesion | 8 | (7.8%) | 1 | (1.1%) | |
| Torso site | 0.27 | ||||
| Upper back (above waist) | 67 | (65.0%) | 59 | (64.2%) | |
| Lower back/buttock | 10 | (9.7%) | 11 | (11.9%) | |
| Chest | 22 | (21.4%) | 21 | (22.8%) | |
| Abdomen | 4 | (3.9%) | 1 | (1.1%) | |
| Median post-excision length of scar before suturing [mm] (IQR) | 33 | (25, 37) | 33 | (28, 37.5) | 0.41 |
| Median post-excision width of scar before suturing [mm] (IQR) | 19 | (15, 22) | 19 | (15, 22.5) | 0.72 |
IQR= inter-quartile range; SD = standard deviation
Moderate bending/ lifting <15kg (e.g. bowls/ gardening);
Strenuous bending/ lifting >15kg (e.g. rowing/ weight training)