Table 2.
Patient characteristics
| Sociodemographic characteristics | Acupuncture (N = 91) | Homeopathy (N = 87) | General medicine (N = 85) | Total (N = 263) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex, % (n) | ||||
| Male | 27.8 (25) | 24.1 (21) | 31.7 (26) | 27.8 (72) |
| Female | 72.2 (65) | 75.9 (66) | 67.1 (55) | 71.8 (186) |
| Other | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (1) | 0.4 (1) |
| Age [y], mean ± SD | 51.8 ± 13.7 | 54.3 ± 12.4 | 57.0 ± 18.4 | 54.3 ± 15.1 |
| Duration of education [y], mean ± SD | 17.6 ± 3.2 | 18.4 ± 4.2 | 14.5 ± 3.4 | 16.9 ± 4 |
| Health complaints, % (n) | ||||
| Cardiovascular disease | 3.3 (3) | 8.0 (7) | 30.6 (26) | 13.7 (36) |
| Respiratory disease | 7.7 (7) | 13.8 (12) | 15.3 (13) | 12.2 (32) |
| Mental illness | 19.8 (18) | 32.2 (28) | 9.4 (8) | 20.5 (54) |
| Musculoskeletal disorder | 29.7 (27) | 19.5 (17) | 22.4 (19) | 24.0 (63) |
| Metabolic disease | 2.2 (2) | 2.3 (2) | 20.0 (17) | 8.0 (21) |
| Gastrointestinal disease | 9.9 (9) | 13.8 (12) | 14.1 (12) | 12.5 (33) |
| Cancerous disease | 1.1 (1) | 4.6 (4) | 4.7 (4) | 3.4 (9) |
| Ear-nose-throat disease | 13.2 (12) | 16.1 (14) | 4.7 (4) | 11.4 (30) |
| Pain condition | 6.6 (6) | 5.7 (5) | 1.2 (1) | 4.6 (12) |
| Neurological disease | 5.5 (5) | 4.6 (4) | 1.2 (1) | 3.8 (10) |
| Other diseases | 16.5 (15) | 18.4 (16) | 2.4 (2) | 12.5 (33) |
| Status of disease, % (n) | ||||
| Acute | 24.2 (22) | 13.8 (12) | 18.8 (16) | 19.0 (50) |
| Chronic | 69.2 (63) | 70.1 (61) | 63.5 (54) | 67.7 (178) |
| Not sure | 7.7 (7) | 17.2 (15) | 15.3 (13) | 13.3 (35) |
| Treatment group overlap, % (n) | ||||
| Acupuncture | 14.3 (13) | 46.2 (42) | (55) | |
| Homeopathy | 8.0 (7) | 28.7 (25) | (32) | |
| General medicine | 5.9 (5) | 0 (0) | (5) | |
SD standard deviation