Table 1.

Description of chiropractors for the total combined sample, and for COAST and O-COAST chiropractors^c

	Total combined sample (n = 91)	COAST Chiropractors (n = 52)	O-COAST Chiropractors (n = 39)	Comparisona between COAST and O-COAST
Female (%)	27 (29.7%)	14 (26.9%)	13 (33.3%)	χ2 = 0.4, df = 1, p = 0.5
Mean age in years (range; SD)	43.1 (24–71; 10.3)	42.3 (24–64; 9.3)	44.1 (25–71; 11.7)	t = −0.84, df = 89, p = 0.4
Mean years in practiceb (range, SD) (N = 89)	16.1 (1–45; 9.7)	16.3 (1–39; 8.5)	15.8 (2–45; 11.2)	t = 0.82, df = 88, p = 0.8
Years since graduation (range, SD)	17.1 (1–45; 9.8)	16.9 (1–40; 8.7)	17.4 (3–45; 11.3)	t = 0.8, df = 89, p = 0.8
Less than 10 years	25 (27.5%)	13 (25.0%)	12 (30.8%)	χ2 = 1.0, df = 2, p = 0.6
Between 10 to 20 years	38 (41.8%)	24 (46.2%)	14 (35.9%)
Greater than 20 years	28 (30.8%)	15 (28.9%)	13 (33.3%)
Country of chiropractic education:
Australia	44 (48.4%)	44 (84.6%)	–
Canada	34 (37.4%)	1 (1.9%)	33 (84.6%)	χ2 = 77.2, df = 4, < 0.0001
United States	10 (11.0%)	4 (7.7%)	6 (15.4%)
United Kingdom	1 (1.1%)	1 (1.9%)	–
New Zealand	2 (2.2%)	2 (3.9%)	–
Mean number of adult encounters (range; SD)	74.5 (7–105; 26.0)	73.9 (7–104; 26.6)	75.4 (13–105; 25.3)	t = −0.3, df = 89, p = 0.8
Mean number of adult patients (range; SD)	62.2 (5–99; 24.8)	63.4 (7–95; 23.8)	60.5 (5–99; 26.3)	t = 0.6, df = 89, p = 0.6
% Patients ≥65 years Mean (range; SD)	15.8 (0–80; 11.2)	12.5 (0–35; 7.9)	20.2 (1.25–80.0; 13.3)	t = −3.4, df = 89, p = 0.002

^aPearson χ² test for categorical variables, t-test for means

^b For mean years in practice, N = 89. For all other variables data from all 91 chiropractors was used for analysis

^cIn both COAST and O-COAST studies, participating chiropractors were representative of respective, national chiropractors in terms of age, gender, location of practice and time since graduation