TABLE 1.
Demographics and Clinical Characteristics Among 11,406 Veterans Receiving BFA
| Demographic and Clinical Characteristics | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Age (y) | |
| 18–39 | 1289 (11.3) |
| 40–54 | 2649 (23.2) |
| 55–64 | 2703 (23.7) |
| 65–69 | 1827 (16.0) |
| 70–79 | 2313 (20.3) |
| 80+ | 625 (5.5) |
| Sex | |
| Male | 9620 (84.3) |
| Female | 1786 (15.7) |
| Marital status | |
| Married | 6287 (55.1) |
| Not married | 5024 (44.1) |
| Not reported | 95 (0.8) |
| Race | |
| White | 8354 (73.4) |
| Black | 2129 (18.7) |
| Other | 280 (2.5) |
| Not reported | 643 (5.6) |
| Copay status | |
| Copay required | 1076 (9.4) |
| No copay due to disability | 6394 (56.1) |
| No copay due to means | 3936 (34.5) |
| Geographic location | |
| Metropolitan/suburban residence | 8456 (74.4) |
| Rural residence | 2909 (25.6) |
| Pain type (chronic) | |
| Back | 2413 (21.2) |
| Fibromyalgia | 193 (1.7) |
| Joint | 492 (4.3) |
| Neck | 384 (3.4) |
| Osteoarthritis | 134 (1.2) |
| >1 | 3953 (34.7) |
| No history of chronic pain | 3837 (33.6) |
| Opioid use in the year before first BFA treatment | |
| None or <30 d supply | 7743 (67.9) |
| ≥30 d supply | 3663 (32.1) |
| Psychological comorbidity | |
| Depression | 4174 (36.6) |
| Mood disorders | 4421 (38.8) |
| Anxiety disorders | 2463 (21.6) |
| Alcohol use disorders | 1082 (9.5) |
| Substance use disorders | 266 (2.3) |
| Trauma-related disorders (PTSD) | 3379 (29.6) |
| No. complex chronic conditions | |
| None | 1442 (12.6) |
| 1 | 2323 (20.4) |
| 2 | 2380 (20.9) |
| 3 | 1965 (17.2) |
| 4 | 1375 (12.1) |
| 5 | 781 (6.9) |
| 6+ | 1140 (10.0) |
| Pain severity (DVPRS score) pretreatment | |
| 0–3 | 1135 (10.0) |
| 4–6 | 4677 (41.0) |
| 7–8 | 4096 (35.9) |
| 9–10 | 1498 (13.1) |
| No. BFA treatments | |
| 1 | 6759 (59.3) |
| 2 | 1889 (16.6) |
| 3–5 | 1837 (16.1) |
| 6–10 | 627 (5.5) |
| 11+ | 294 (2.6) |
BFA indicates battlefield acupuncture; DVPRS, Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale; PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder.