Table 3. Comparative analysis of outdoor temperatures in achilles tendon repair group and randomly selected controls (2002–2015).
| ATR (n = 850) | Control (n = 3400) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median temperature, °C | 17.4 (9.1–22.6)** | 14 (4.6–21.8)** | < .05 |
| Quantile of median temperature, °C | < .05 | ||
| Q1 (≤5.3) | 134 (15.76)* | 933 (27.44)* | |
| Q2 (>5.3, ≤14.9) | 214 (25.18)* | 844 (24.82)* | |
| Q3 (>14.9, ≤22.0) | 263 (30.94)* | 805 (23.68)* | |
| Q4 (>22.0) | 239 (28.12)* | 818 (24.06)* | |
| Minimum temperature, °C | 12.7 (4.3–19.2)** | 9.5 (0.4–18.1)** | < .05 |
| Maximum temperature, °C | 22.5 (14.2–27.5)** | 19.3 (9.4–26.4)** | < .05 |
| Daily temperature range, °C | 8.6 (6.5–11.1)** | 8.8 (6.5–11)** | 0.576 |
| Latitude of residence area, n | 0.890 | ||
| High latitude (37–38) | 410 (48.24)* | 1649 (48.5)* | |
| Low latitude (33–36) | 440 (51.76)* | 1751 (51.5)* | |
| Household income, percentile | < .05 | ||
| Low (<30) | 126 (15.38)* | 710 (22.44)* | |
| Intermediate (30–70) | 285 (34.80)* | 1202 (37.99)* | |
| High (≥70) | 408 (49.82)* | 1252 (39.57)* |
ATR, achilles tendon repair. Control group members randomly selected from National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, proportional to yearly ATR group total. Data expressed as numerical values (%)* or median temperature (Q1,Q3)** unless otherwise specified, boldface indicating statistical significance (p < .05).