Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population, overall and stratified by study groups, given as mean (standard deviation) or n (%)
| Parameter | Intervention group (n = 36) | Control group (n = 34) | Total (N = 70) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 60.3 (15.9) | 62.4 (12.2) | 61.3 (14.2) |
| No. of women | 31 (86%) | 28 (82%) | 58 (83%) |
| Disease duration (years) | 12.2 (9.3) | 14.6 (10.8) | 14.1 (10.1) |
| RF or ACPA positive | 21 (58%) | 28 (82%) | 49 (70%) |
| Current smokers | 2 (6%) | 8 (24%) | 10 (14%) |
| BMI | 26.2 (4.7) | 26.9 (4.9) | 26.5 (4.7) |
| No. with university‐level education | 12 (33%) | 11 (32%) | 23 (33%) |
| Comorbidities: | |||
| IHD | 1 (3%) | 5 (15%) | 6 (9%) |
| Hypertension | 12 (33%) | 17 (50%) | 29 (41%) |
| Diabetes | 0 | 2 (6%) | 2 (3%) |
| COPD | 1 (3%) | 3 (9%) | 4 (6%) |
| Previous malignancy | 2 (6%) | 4 (12%) | 6 (9%) |
| Previous csDMARDs | 1.7 (0.9) | 1.6 (0.9) | 1.7 (0.9) |
| Previous bDMARDs | 0.7 (1.4) | 0.8 (1.2) | 0.7 (1.3) |
| Present medication: | |||
| csDMARD | 25 (70) | 30 (88) | 55 (79) |
| MTX | 24 (67) | 29 (85) | 53 (76) |
| MTX dose (mg) | 18.9 (4.7) | 18.7 (5.3) | 18.8 (5.0) |
| csDMARD, combinations | 7 (20) | 3 (9) | 10 (14) |
| bDMARD | 3 (10) | 10 (29) | 13 (19) |
| TNFi | 3 (8) | 10 (29) | 13 (19) |
| bDMARD, other | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Prednisolone | 7 (20) | 5 (15) | 12 (17) |
| Prednisolone dose (mg) | 6.8 (2.4) | 5.5 (2.7) | 6.3 (2.5) |
| Outcome variables: | |||
| DAS28 | 4.9 (0.9) | 4.9 (0.9) | 4.9 (0.9) |
| SJC | 5.5 (3.2) | 5.2 (3,3) | 5.3 (3.3) |
| TJC | 8.9 (5.5) | 8.7 (5.1) | 8.8 (5.3) |
| HAQ | 1.1 (0.6) | 1.2 (0.6) | 1.1 (0.6) |
| RAID | 4.9 (2.3) | 5.6 (1.7) | 5.2 (2.0) |
| PASS acceptable (%) | 36 (13/36) | 35 (12/34) | 36 (25/70) |
| BMQ‐necessity | 19.1 (4.3) | 19.1 (3.2) | 19.1 (3.8) |
| BMQ‐concerns | 14.6 (4.8) | 14.1 (3.8) | 14.3 (4.3) |
| Patient satisfaction | 8.4 (1.9) | 8.3 (1.7) | 8.4 (1.8) |
| EQ‐5D | 0.45 (0.34) | 0.47 (0.33) | 0.46 (0.34) |
ACPA: anti–citrullinated protein antibodies; bDMARD: biologic disease‐modifying anti‐rheumatic drug; BMI: body mass index; BMQ: Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (divided into necessity and concerns); COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; csDMARD: conventional synthetic disease‐modifying anti‐rheumatic drug; DAS28: Disease Activity Score in 28 joints; EQ‐5D: EuroQol‐5D; HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire; IHD: Ischaemic heart disease; MTX: methotrexate; PASS: Patient Acceptable Symptom State; RAID: rheumatoid arthritis impact of disease; RF: rheumatoid factor; SJC: swollen joint count; TJC: tender joint count; TNFi: tumour necrosis factor inhibitor.