Table I.
Summary of General Practice (GP) and individual participant characteristics at baseline by study group
| GP Practice characteristics∗ | Intervention n = 4 | Control n = 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Practice size, mean (SD) | 10,240 (9174.8) | 6983 (2060.7) |
| Practice Index of Multiple Deprivation rank, median (IQR) | 9165.0 (2195.7, 19,478.5) | 14,633.5 (4571.5, 28,822.0) |
| Number of General Practitioners, mean (SD) | 6.0 (6.1) | 5.5 (2.9) |
| Age (years) of GP, mean (SD) | 42.2 (23.7) | 42.8 (23.5) |
| Participants characteristics | Intervention n = 288 | Control n = 237 |
| Gender, n (%) | ||
| Female | 167 (58.0) | 146 (61.6) |
| Male | 121 (42.0) | 91 (38.4) |
| Age (years) mean (SD) | 66.9 (10.6) | 67.7 (10.3) |
| BMI (kg m−2), mean (SD) | 28.1 (5.1) | 28.5 (4.8) |
| Marital status, n (%) | ||
| Married | 186 (65.0) | 168 (71.0) |
| Separated | 2 (0.7) | 4 (1.7) |
| Divorced | 29 (10.1) | 13 (15.6) |
| Widowed | 44 (15.4) | 37 (15.6) |
| Cohabiting | 10 (3.5) | 9 (3.8) |
| Single | 15 (5.2) | 6 (2.5) |
| Employment status, n (%) | ||
| Employed | 77 (27.2) | 59 (25.2) |
| Not working/retired | 206 (72.8) | 175 (74.8) |
| Deprivation index | ||
| Median (IQR) | 21,868 (15,144, 28,649) | 20,182 (15,989, 24,635) |
| No. of pain sites, n (%) | ||
| 1 | 55 (19.1) | 45 (19.0) |
| 2 or more | 233 (80.9) | 192 (81.0) |
∗
Age and gender structure of the registered population at the practices was similar to that of North Staffordshire and of England and Wales. Practices had a range of numbers of patients, a range of areas – semi rural to urban (small town/larger city), and a range of deprivation.