Table 1.
Characteristics of focus group participants (n = 21)
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 58.2 (8.3) |
| Male sex, n (%) | 10 (48%) |
| Race, n (%) | |
| African-American | 2 (10%) |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1 (5%) |
| Caucasian | 16 (76%) |
| Native American | 1 (5%) |
| American/Mexican/Indian | 1 (5%) |
| Hispanic, n (%) | 2 (10%) |
| Education, n (%) | |
| High school or less | 3 (14%) |
| Some college | 12 (57%) |
| Bachelor degree | 4 (19%) |
| Master’s degree | 2 (10%) |
| Employment, n (%) | |
| Full time | 4 (19%) |
| Out of work | 1 (5%) |
| Not able to work | 12 (57%) |
| Retired | 4 (19%) |
| Annual household income, n (%) | |
| < $40,000 | 5 (24%) |
| $40,000 - $80,000 | 10 (48%) |
| > $80,000 | 6 (29%) |
| Average pain1, mean (SD) | 5.7 (2.4) |
| Pain intensity, mean (SD) | 6.0 (1.9) |
| Pain has interfered with enjoyment of life, mean (SD) | 5.8 (3.0) |
| Pain has interfered with general activity, mean (SD) | 5.4 (2.9) |
| Pain location, n (%) | |
| Back pain only | 3 (14%) |
| Neck pain only | 3 (14%) |
| Both back and neck pain | 15 (71%) |
| Status of opioid tapering, n (%) | |
| Already tapered | 14 (67%) |
| Currently tapering | 4 (19%) |
| Recommended to taper | 3 (14%) |
| Which one choice best describes how long you have been suffering from chronic pain?, n (%) | |
| 2 years < 5 years | 3 (14%) |
| 5 years < 10 years | 6 (29%) |
| 10 years or more | 12 (57%) |
Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.
1
Range 0 to 10, with higher numbers reflecting more severe pain during the past week. Pain was measured using the 3-item PEG scale.20