Table 2.
Characteristics of Participants at Baseline (N = 1186)
| Intervention Group (n = 633) | Control Group (n = 553) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age; mean ± SE | 64.0 ± 15.6 | 64.0 ± 15.4 | 1.000a |
| Gender (female); n (%) | 330 (52.1) | 296 (53.5) | 0.673a |
| Education level; n (%) | |||
| - No formal education | 146 (23.1) | 129 (23.3) | 0.471b |
| - Primary education | 258 (40.8) | 201 (36.3) | |
| - Secondary education | 151 (23.9) | 125 (22.6) | |
| - Higher non-university education | 9 (1.4) | 13 (2.4) | |
| - University education | 69 (10.9) | 85 (15.4) | |
| Employment situation; n (%) | |||
| - Student | 38 (6.0) | 32 (5.8) | 0.685b |
| - Unemployed | 62 (9.8) | 51 (9.2) | |
| - Active worker | 138 (21.8) | 137 (24.8) | |
| - Sick leave | 21 (3.3) | 13 (2.4) | |
| - Retired | 374 (59.1) | 320 (57.9) | |
| Medications; mean ± SE | |||
| - Total medications | 5.68 ± 3.33 | 5.71 ± 3.49 | 0.901a |
| - Medications for the study disease | 1.82 ± 0.93 | 1.75 ± 0.87 | 0.196a |
| Healthcare resources; n (%) | |||
| - Primary care physician visits | 135 (21.3) | 146 (26.4) | 0.040a |
| - Specialist physician visits | 37 (5.8) | 49 (8.9) | 0.046a |
| - Emergency department visits | 16 (2.5) | 14 (2.5) | 0.997a |
| - Hospital admissions | 4 (0.6) | 12 (2.1) | 0.020a |
| Health Related Life Quality; mean ± SE | |||
| - Utility score | 0.82 ± 0.006 | 0.80 ± 0.008 | 0.046a |
| - VAS score | 68.54 ± 0.70 | 67.90 ± 0.81 | 0.540a |
Notes: Statistical tests: at-test; bFisher’s exact test.
Abbreviations: SE, standard error; VAS, visual analog scale.