Table 1.
Characteristics of back pain patients visiting an academic emergency department ( n = 52)
| n (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Smoker (n = 36) | Nonsmoker ( n = 16 ) | |
| Patient characteristics | |||
| Age* | |||
| <40 | 25 (48.0) | 20 (55.5) | 5 (31.2) |
| ≥40 | 26 (50.0) | 15 (41.6) | 11 (68.7) |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 27 (51.9) | 18 (50.0) | 9 (56.3)** |
| Female | 25 (48.1) | 18 (50.0) | 7 (43.8) |
| Race | |||
| White | 32 (61.5) | 20 (55.6) | 12 (75.0) |
| Black/African American | 18 (34.6) | 14 (38.9) | 4 (25.0) |
| Other | 2 (3.8) | 2 (5.6) | 0 (0) |
| Marital status | |||
| Married/domestic partnership | 18 (34.6) | 9 (25.0) | 9 (56.3) |
| Not married | 34 (65.4) | 27 (75.0) | 7 (43.8) |
| Education | |||
| ≤11 years | 13 (25.0) | 11 (30.6) | 2 (12.5) |
| High school/GED | 20 (38.5) | 16 (44.4) | 4 (25.0) |
| Some college or greater | 19 (36.5) | 9 (25.0) | 10 (62.5) |
| Employment status | |||
| Employed | 22 (42.3) | 18 (50.0) | 4 (25.0) |
| Unemployed | 30 (57.6) | 18 (50.0) | 12 (75.0) |
| Annual income* | |||
| <$10,000 | 21 (41.2) | 16 (45.7) | 5 (31.3) |
| $10,000-$29,999 | 18 (35.3) | 14 (40.0) | 4 (25.0) |
| $30,00-$49,999 | 7 (13.7) | 2 (5.7) | 5 (31.3) |
| ≥ $50,000 | 5 (9.8) | 3 (8.6) | 2 (12.5) |
| Insurance | |||
| None | 30 (57.7) | 22 (61.1) | 8 (50.0) |
| Private | 8 (15.4) | 4 (11.1) | 4 (25.0) |
| Medicaid/medicare/charity care | 14 (26.9) | 10 (27.8) | 4 (25.0) |
*Values do not add up to total n due to missing data.
**Percentages may total more than 100% due to rounding.