TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of study sample
| Characteristic | Total Sample N=209 | Acupuncture N=170 | Control N=39 | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at randomization, mean (SD),y | 53.8 (3.5) | 53.8 (3.5) | 53.6 (3.6) | 0.65 |
| No. VMS/day at baseline,a mean (SD) | 9.5 (5.0) | 9.4 (5.1) | 9.8 (5.0) | 0.68 |
| Race, No. (%) | 0.27 | |||
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 46 (22.0) | 38 (22.4) | 8 (20.5) | |
| Hispanic, American Indian or Alaskan Native | 4 (1.9) | 2 (1.2) | 2 (5.1) | |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 159 (76.1) | 130 (76.5) | 29 (74.4) | |
| Marital Status, No. (%) | 0.74 | |||
| Married or living in a marriage-like relationship | 162 (77.5) | 131 (77.1) | 31 (79.5) | |
| Never married, divorced, separated or widowed | 47 (22.5) | 39 (22.9) | 8 (20.5) | |
| Education, No. (%) | 0.39 | |||
| Less than college | 92 (44.0) | 75 (44.1) | 17 (43.6) | |
| College degree | 47 (22.5) | 41 (24.1) | 6 (15.4) | |
| Beyond college degree | 70 (33.5) | 54 (31.8) | 16 (41.0) | |
| Menopausal status, No. (%) | 0.94 | |||
| Perimenopause | 35 (16.7) | 29 (17.1) | 6 (15.4) | |
| Postmenopause | 118 (56.5) | 95 (55.9) | 23 (59.0) | |
| Surgical menopause | 56 (26.8) | 46 (27.1) | 10 (25.6) | |
| Baseline* VMS (average/day) | 0.85 | |||
| < 5 | 36 (17.2) | 30 (17.6) | 6 (15.4) | |
| 5-9.9 | 99 (47.4) | 82 (48.2) | 17 (43.6) | |
| 10-14.9 | 49 (23.4) | 39 (22.9) | 10 (25.6) | |
| 15 + | 25 (12.0) | 19 (11.2) | 6 (15.4) | |
| On Hormone Therapy (HT) at randomization | 2 (1.0) | 2 (1.2) | 0 | 0.99b |
| Prior use of acupuncture, No. (%) | 50 (23.9) | 41 (24.1) | 9 (23.1) | 0.89 |
VMS, vasomotor symptoms.
a
Baseline refers to the 2 weeks of hot flash diaries completed just prior to randomization.
b
p-value from Fisher's Exact test.