Table 1.
Demographic and Baseline Characteristics of All Participants, by Treatment Group*
| Characteristic† | Yoga (n = 127) |
Physical Therapy (n = 129) |
Education (n = 64) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean age (SD), y | 46.4 (10.4) | 46.4 (11.0) | 44.2 (10.8) |
| Female | 72 (56.7) | 90 (69.8) | 42 (65.6) |
| Race or ethnic group | |||
| Non-Hispanic white | 26 (20.5) | 20 (15.5) | 11 (17.2) |
| Non-Hispanic black | 71 (55.9) | 73 (56.6) | 39 (60.9) |
| Hispanic | 18 (14.2) | 19 (14.7) | 7 (10.9) |
| Other/missing | 12 (9.4) | 17 (13.2) | 7 (10.9) |
| Born in the United States | 91 (71.7) | 84 (65.1) | 51 (79.7) |
| Earned college degree or higher | 38 (29.9) | 30 (23.3) | 25 (39.1) |
| Currently employed | 60 (47.2) | 53 (41.1) | 30 (46.9) |
| Annual income ≤$30 000 | 76 (59.8) | 71 (55.0) | 41 (64.1) |
| Mean BMI (SD), kg/m2 | 30.8 (6.7) | 32.7 (7.4) | 32.0 (8.1) |
| Mean back pain intensity (SD) | 7.1 (1.5) | 7.2 (1.5) | 7.0 (1.4) |
| Mean RMDQ score (SD)‡ | 13.9 (5.6) | 15.6 (5.1) | 15.0 (5.0) |
| Used any pain medication in previous week | 88 (69.3) | 94 (72.9) | 47 (73.4) |
| NSAIDs | 63 (49.6) | 71 (55.0) | 37 (57.8) |
| Acetaminophen | 43 (33.9) | 41 (31.8) | 26 (40.6) |
| Opioids | 28 (22.1) | 23 (17.8) | 12 (18.7) |
| Very satisfied with overall care for back pain | 5 (4.0) | 4 (3.1) | 1 (1.6) |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Hypertension | 42 (34.4) | 46 (36.5) | 23 (36.5) |
| Neck pain | 41 (34.2) | 29 (23.8) | 23 (35.9) |
| Pulmonary disorders§ | 30 (23.8) | 31 (24.2) | 18 (28.1) |
| Diabetes | 25 (19.8) | 25 (19.5) | 8 (13.1) |
| Depression | 21 (16.9) | 33 (26.8) | 12 (19.7) |
| Mean SF-36 physical health score (SD)∥ | 36.2 (8.8) | 35.2 (7.7) | 36.6 (8.5) |
| Mean SF-36 mental health score (SD)∥ | 43.4 (12.8) | 41.4 (10.2) | 42.3 (10.5) |
BMI = body mass index; NSAID = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; RMDQ = Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire; SF-36 = Short Form-36 Health Survey.
All values are numbers (percentages) unless otherwise specified. Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding. Height and weight were measured at the baseline survey visit. All other characteristics were self-reported. Additional baseline characteristics are provided in Table 6 of Supplement 2 (available at Annals.org).
Baseline between-group differences were present for sex, RMDQ, and BMI (P = 0.088, 0.032, and 0.099, respectively).
Measured using an 11-point numerical rating scale for average pain intensity in the previous week, where 0 indicated no pain and 10 indicated worst pain possible.
Measure of back-related function with scores ranging from 0 to 23, where higher scores represent poorer function.
Include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema.
Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life