Table 1.
Demographic data of the intervention and control groups
| Variable | Sub-group | Case | Control | P-value | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Male | 12 (26.7%) | 15 (37.5%) | P>0.05 | 27 (38.1%) |
| Female | 33 (73.3%) | 25 (62.5%) | 58 (68.2%) | ||
| Occupation | Unemployed | 3 (6.7%) | 5 (12.5%) | P>0.05 | 8 (9.4%) |
| Student | 1 (2.2%) | 2 (0.5%) | 3 (3.5%) | ||
| Housewife | 23 (51.1%) | 20 (50%) | 43 (50.6%) | ||
| Employee | 3 (6.7%) | 5 (12.5%) | 8 (9.4%) | ||
| Free job | 13 (28.9%) | 8 (20%) | 21 (24.7%) | ||
| Farmer | 2 (4.4%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (2.4%) | ||
| Place of residence | City | 29 (64.44%) | 29 (72.5%) | P>0.05 | 58 (68.24%) |
| Village | 16 (35.56%) | 11 (27.5%) | 27 (31.76%) | ||
| Ear involved | Right | 20 (44.4%) | 16 (38.1%)* | P>0.05 | 36 (41.4%) |
| Left | 25 (55.6%) | 26 (61.1%) * | 51 (58.6%) | ||
| Total | - | 45 (51.7%) | 42 (48.3%) * | - | 87 (100%) |
*
There are 40 patients in the control group; in two cases, two samples were taken from both ears, so the total number of samples was 42.