Table 1. Baseline characteristics of the health centres (clusters) and patients in the usual care and Educore arms.
| Characteristics of health centres# | Educore arm | Usual care arm | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health centres (n = 21) | (n = 10) | (n = 11) | (n = 21) | |
| Daily work of family doctors (patients/day) | Mean (SD) | 33 (2.5) | 34 (3.1) | 33 (2.9) |
| Daily work of nurses (patients/day) | Mean (SD) | 19 (1.2) | 19 (3.1) | 18.8 (2.3) |
| Health professional characteristics (n = 120) | (n = 62) | (n = 58) | (n = 120) | |
| Age (years) | Mean (SD) | 46.2 (6.6) | 45.9 (8.3) | 46 (7.5) |
| Female sex | (%) | 83.6 | 69.1 | 76.4 |
| Family doctors | (%) | 56.4 | 43.6 | 53.6 |
| Nurses | (%) | 50.9 | 49.1 | 46.4 |
| Characteristics of patients | Educore arm (n = 185) | Usual care arm (n = 226) | TOTAL (n = 411) | |
| Female sex (n = 411) | (%) | 46.5 | 55.8 | 51.6 |
| Age (years) (n = 411) | Mean (SD) | 55.5 (7) | 55.2 (6.5) | 55.3 (6.7) |
| Education level (n = 407) | ||||
| - No degree | (%) | 61.4 | 60.1 | 60.7 |
| - Bachelor’s degree or above | (%) | 38.6 | 39.9 | 39.3 |
| Physical activity (≥3h/week) (n = 411) | (%) | 57.8 | 62.8 | 60.6 |
| METs (n = 411) | Mean (SD) | 10.0 (12.7) | 11.1 (15.0) | 10.6 (14.0) |
| Use of tobacco (n = 411) | ||||
| - Never smoked | (%) | 48.1 | 54.0 | 51.3 |
| - Ex-smoker | (%) | 25.4 | 22.1 | 23.6 |
| - Smoker | (%) | 26.5 | 23.9 | 25.1 |
| No of cigarettes/day (n = 102) | Mean (SD) | 15.7 (9) | 15.5 (10.0) | 15.6 (9.4) |
| Packs/year (n = 102) | Mean (SD) | 24.1 (16.5) | 23.8 (16.6) | 24 (16.5) |
| BMI (kg/m2) (n = 408) | Mean(SD) | 31.0 (5.9) | 30.7 (5.5) | 30.8 (5.1) |
| - <25 kg/m2 | (%) | 10.4 | 13.8 | 12.3 |
| - 25–29 kg/m2 | (%) | 36.1 | 32.9 | 34.3 |
| - ≥30 kg/m2 | (%) | 53.6 | 53.3 | 53.4 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) (n = 411) | Mean (SD) | 147.0 (10.7) | 147.7 (11.6) | 147.4 (11.2) |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) (n = 411) | Mean (SD) | 90.7 (8.6) | 89 (8.3) | 89.8 (8.5) |
| Cholesterol (mg/dl) (n = 398) | Mean (SD) | 215.9 (32.4) | 212.6 (32.0) | 214.1 (32.2) |
| LDL-cholesterol (mg/dl) (n = 372) | Mean (SD) | 137.7 (32.7) | 131.9 (30.1) | 134.5 (31.4) |
| SCORE table score for CVR (n = 396) | Mean (SD) | 2.5 (2.4) | 2.5 (3.1) | 2.5 (2.8) |
| - Low risk (<1%) | (%) | 11.7 | 12.9 | 12.4 |
| - Moderate risk (1–4%) | (%) | 71.5 | 72.8 | 72.2 |
| - High risk (5–9%) | (%) | 15.1 | 12.4 | 13.6 |
| - Very high risk (≥10%) | (%) | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Mini-CHAL Test (n = 410) | ||||
| - Mood | Mean (SD) | 4.7 (4.1) | 4.3 (3.9) | 4.5 (4.0) |
| - Somatic status | Mean (SD) | 2.4 (2.4) | 2.0 (2.3) | 2.2 (2.3) |
| Compliance with treatment (n = 411) | (% Yes) | 71.9 | 72.1 | 72.0 |
| Number of medications (n = 411) | Mean (SD) | 1.3 (0.9) | 1.4 (0.9) | 1.36 (0.9) |
| Medication changes (n = 411) | (%) | 43.2 | 31.2 | 36.9 |
| Antihypertensive agents (n = 411) | (%) | 78.9 | 75.2 | 76.9 |
| Monotherapy | (%) | 39.5 | 48.2 | 44.3 |
| - Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors | (%) | 40.5 | 43.8 | 42.3 |
| - Diuretics | (%) | 39.5 | 39.4 | 39.4 |
| - Angiotensin II Type 1 receptor blockers | (%) | 22.2 | 20.8 | 21.4 |
| - Calcium channel blockers | (%) | 16.2 | 17.3 | 16.8 |
| - Adrenergic beta-antagonists | (%) | 18.4 | 9.7 | 13.6 |
| - Adrenergic alpha-antagonists | (%) | 3.2 | 1.3 | 2.2 |
| Lipid-lowering drugs (n = 411) | (%) | 19.5 | 18.1 | 18.7 |
# Source: Sistemas de Información. Gerencia Asistencial de Atención Primaria. METs (Metabolic equivalent hours/week). Mini-CHAL Test: Zero (best health level) to 30 (worst health level) for mood, and 0 to 18 for somatic problems.