Table 2.
Baseline characteristics
| Baseline characteristics | Low back pain patients (n=928) |
|---|---|
| Males, n (%) | 510 (55) |
| Age, median (interquartile range), years | 43 (34–53) |
| Highest achieved education, n (%) | |
| No qualifications | 81 (9) |
| Vocational training | 236 (25) |
| Higher education <3 years | 142 (15) |
| Higher education 3–4 years | 311 (34) |
| Higher education >4 years | 136 (15) |
| Missing | 22 (2) |
| Back-pain intensity (0–10 numeric rating scale), mean (SD) | 6.5 (2.1) |
| Missing n (%) | 25 (3) |
| Leg-pain intensity, n (%) | |
| No pain | 372 (40) |
| Mild pain | 295 (32) |
| Moderate-to-severe pain | 218 (23) |
| Missing | 43 (5) |
| Episode duration, n (%) | |
| 0–2 weeks | 571 (62) |
| 2–4 weeks | 123 (13) |
| 1–3 months | 95 (10) |
| >3 months | 121 (13) |
| Missing | 18 (2) |
| Previous episodes, n (%) | |
| 0 | 149 (16) |
| 1–3 | 317 (34) |
| >3 | 443 (48) |
| Missing | 19 (2) |
| STarT Back Tool score, n (%) | |
| Low risk | 497 (54) |
| Medium risk | 351 (38) |
| High risk | 72 (8) |
| Missing | 8 (1) |
| Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire proportional sum score, median (interquartile range) | 52 (35–70) |
| Missing n (%) | 14 (2) |
| Major Depression Inventory sum score, median (interquartile range) | 6 (3–11) |
| Missing n (%) | 15 (2) |
Abbreviation: SD, standard deviation.