Table 1.
Participant characteristics at baseline.
| Characteristics | Randomized (n = 141) | |
|---|---|---|
| Prescription group (n = 72) | Advice group (n = 69) | |
| Women, n (%) | 56 (78) | 46 (67) |
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 59.7 (8.6) | 60.9 (7.9) |
| Body mass index (kg/m²), median (IQR) | 31.0 (5.8) | 30.2 (6.6) |
| Duration of symptoms (years), median (IQR) | 2.0 (4.5) | 1.5 (4.5) |
| Location OA | ||
| Hip, n (%) | 19 (26) | 18 (26) |
| Knee, n (%) | 53 (74) | 51 (74) |
| Have used pain medication in the last week, n (%) | 47 (65) | 40 (58) |
| Comorbidity | ||
| Depression, n (%) | 6 (8) | 5 (7) |
| Heart disease, a n (%) | 11 (15) | 12 (17) |
| Asthma/COPD, n (%) | 5 (7) | 7 (10) |
| Severe obesity (body mass index (kg/m²) >35), n (%) | 10 (14) | 12 (17) |
| Severe pain (not due to knee or hip), n (%) | 4 (6) | 3 (4) |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 3 (4) | 4 (6) |
| Education | ||
| Elementary school, n (%) | 22 (31) | 23 (33) |
| High school, n (%) | 34 (47) | 33 (48) |
| College/university, n (%) | 16 (22) | 13 (19) |
| Employment status b | ||
| Working/studying, n (%) | 39 (54) | 39 (57) |
| Unemployed, n (%) | 4 (6) | 2 (3) |
| Sick leave, n (%) | 4 (6) | 5 (7) |
| Retired, n (%) | 28 (41) | 28 (39) |
| Lifestyle self-reported | ||
| Current smoker, n (%) | 6 (9) | 7 (10) |
| Alcohol, risky consumption, c n (%) | 6 (8) | 6 (9) |
| Eating habits, unhealthy eating, d n (%) | 7 (10) | 9 (13) |
| Meeting 150 activity minutes/week,~ n (%) | 19 (27) | 14 (20) |
Heart disease: myocardial infarction, angina pectoris or heart failure.
Employment status, participants can be in multiple categories.
Alcohol, female risky consumption defined as: ⩾9 standard glasses/week or ⩾4 standard glasses on one occasion one or more times per months. For men defined as: ⩾14 standard glasses/week or >5 standard glasses on one occasion one or more times per months. A standard glass corresponds to 33 cl of beer, 12–15 cl of wine or just under 4 cl of hard liquor.
Eating habits, unhealthy eating habits defined from a questionnaire index as: low consumption of fruit, vegetables and fish and high consumption of sweets, chips, buns and cakes, and soft drinks.
Numbers of patients meeting 150 activity minutes/week was calculated using the questionnaire activity minutes (Supplement 1).