Table 2.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics by Exercise Prescription (N=684)

CHARACTERISTIC	Exercise Prescription		P value
	NO (N=361)	YES (N=323)
Demographic Characteristics
Mean age (yrs.)	53.4	51.6	.15
Sex (%):
Female	57.7	66.5	.04
Race (%):
Non-Hispanic White	73.5	73.3
Non-Hispanic Black	16.9	16.4	.31
Non-Hispanic Other	6.5	4.2
Hispanic	3.2	6.1
Education (%):
<High school	20.4	12.7
High school	33.4	24.2	<.001
>High school	46.2	63.2
Insurance & Work-Related Characteristics
Insurancea (%):
Private	57.2	65.8	.05
Medicare & 62 years or older	21.8	17.7	.23
Medicaid	12.9	16.6	.21
Worker’s Compensation	4.9	11.5	.003
Disability or Medicare & < 62 years	27.7	21.4	.10
None	14.3	11.8	.42
Employed in Past Yr. (%)	18.2	26.7	<.001
Health-Related Characteristics
Pain Location (%):
Back	84.8	81.5	.32
Neck	15.3	18.5
Mean Duration of Problem (yrs.)b	9.6	9.0	.57
Fair or poor general health (%)	44.8	34.0	.01
Mean SF-12 Physical Health Component	30.2	32.7	.005
Mean SF-12 Mental Health Component	48.0	47.9	.95
Mean Roland-Morris Score c	16.2	14.6	.008
Mean Neck Disability Index d	33.1	32.0	.72
Mean Pain Ratinge in Past 3 mos.	6.8	6.6	.26
Have Extremity Pain (%)	69.9	72.9	.45
Have Extremity Weakness (%)	57.4	56.3	.81
Taking Narcotics for Back or Neck Pain (%)	60.2	52.3	.07
Had Spinal Surgery in Past Yr. (%)	7.5	9.0	.52
Providers Seen
Saw a physician in past year (%)	94.5	94.2	.86
Mean visitsf	9.2	9.7	.73
Saw a physical therapist in past year (%)	12.5	58.2	<.001
Mean visitsf	12.7	17.9	.11
Saw a chiropractor in past year (%)	18.2	43.0	<.001
Mean visitsf	16.2	27.4	.02

^acategories not mutually exclusive;

^bn=619, excludes subjects who reported >24 episodes of pain in past year;

^cn=574, back pain only;

^dn=110, neck pain only;

^eon 0–10 scale;

^fconditional on seeing provider