Table 2.
Demographic characteristics of the participants.
| Variable | Treatment condition | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real N (%) |
Sham N (%) |
||
| Age | |||
| Mean (SD) | 70.6 (4.67) | 76.7 (7.00) | 0.01 |
| Range | 65–82 | 66–90 | |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 4 (21%) | 7 (39%) | 0.24 |
| Female | 15 (79%) | 11 (61%) | |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| White | 17 (89%) | 15 (83%) | 0.59 |
| Black/african american | 2 (11%) | 3 (17%) | |
| Marital status∗ | |||
| Currently married | 10 (52%) | 7 (39%) | 0.86 |
| Divorced | 3 (16%) | 3 (17%) | |
| Widowed | 5 (23%) | 5 (28%) | |
| Never married | 1 (5%) | 2 (11%) | |
| Employment situation∗ | |||
| Working (full time) | 2 (11%) | 2 (11%) | 0.76 |
| Working (part time) | 2 (11%) | 1 (5%) | |
| Not employed | 1 (5%) | 3 (17%) | |
| Retired | 14 (73%) | 11 (61%) | |
| Education level∗ | |||
| <8th grade | 1 (5%) | 0 (0%) | 0.75 |
| 8th to 11th grade | 0 (0%) | 1 (5%) | |
| High school | 5 (26%) | 4 (22%) | |
| Technical or vocational school | 1 (5%) | 2 (11%) | |
| College and graduate | 12 (64%) | 10 (56%) | |
| Estimated income before taxes∗ | |||
| Less than $10,000 | 2 (11%) | 5 (28%) | 0.07 |
| $10,000 to $19,999 | 2 (11%) | 4 (22%) | |
| $20,000 to $39,999 | 7 (37%) | 1 (5%) | |
| $40,000 to $59,000 | 4 (21%) | 1 (5%) | |
| $60,000 to $100,000 | 1 (5%) | 3 (17%) | |
| More than $100,000 | 0 (0%) | 1 (5%) | |
| Causes of back pain | |||
| Osteoporosis | 2 (11%) | 4 (22%) | 0.37 |
| Osteoarthritis | 7 (37%) | 6 (33%) | 0.72 |
| Scoliosis | 4 (21%) | 3 (17%) | 0.67 |
| Disk herniation | 4 (21%) | 2 (11%) | 0.37 |
| Spinal stenosis | 6 (32%) | 9 (50%) | 0.30 |
| Spondylitis | 1 (5%) | 0 (0%) | 0.31 |
| Spondylosis | 2 (11%) | 0 (0%) | 0.15 |
| Vertebral fracture | 1 (5%) | 1 (5%) | 1.00 |
| Current treatment for back pain∗ | |||
| Yes, currently | 4 (21%) | 5 (28%) | |
| NOT currently, but past | 11 (58%) | 9 (50%) | 0.82 |
| Never | 3 (16%) | 2 (11%) | |
| Current pain medication use | |||
| Yes | 10 (53%) | 7 (39%) | 0.40 |
| No | 9 (47%) | 11 (61%) | |
| Current sleep medication use | |||
| Yes | 3 (16%) | 2 (11%) | 0.68 |
| No | 16 (84%) | 16 (89%) | |
| Satisfied with current treatment∗ | |||
| Yes | 9 (47%) | 9 (50%) | 0.23 |
| No | 4 (21%) | 1 (5%) | |
*n varies due to missing data.