Table 1.
Positive STEPS Study: Sample Characteristics at Baseline (n = 46)a
| Variable | All participants (n = 46) | Positive STEPS group (n = 22) | Control group (n = 24) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M (SD) | % (n) | M (SD) | % (n) | M (SD) | % (n) | |
| Age, in years (range 60–90) | 72.1 (7.2) | 72.0 (6.9) | 72.3 (7.6) | |||
| Female | 89% (41) | 91% (20) | 88% (21) | |||
| African Americanb | 93% (43) | 91% (20) | 96% (23) | |||
| Lives alone | 59% (27) | 59% (13) | 58% (14) | |||
| Bachelor’s degree or more | 57% (26) | 50% (11) | 63% (15) | |||
| Difficulty paying billsc | 24% (11) | 27% (6) | 21% (5) | |||
| High health literacyd | 89% (41) | 86% (19) | 92% (22) | |||
| Chronic conditions | ||||||
| Arthritis | 91% (42) | 91% (20) | 92% (22) | |||
| Low back pain | 78% (36) | 77% (17) | 79% (19) | |||
| Hypertension | 85% (39) | 91% (20) | 79% (19) | |||
| Diabetes | 28% (13) | 23% (5) | 33% (8) | |||
| Heartburn/acid reflux | 61% (28) | 59% (22) | 63% (15) | |||
| Depression | 37% (17) | 46% (10) | 29% (7) | |||
| Count of chronic conditions | 6.0 (2.2) | 6.2 (2.3) | 5.6 (2.0) | |||
| Pain | ||||||
| Pain intensity in last week (0 = no pain to 10 = worst imaginable pain) | 6.2 (1.7) | 6.1 (1.8) | 6.3 (1.5) |
aParticipants with baseline and 8-week follow-up data.
bThe remaining participants were identified as multiracial.
c“In a typical month, how hard is it for you to cover your expenses and pay all your bills?” (proportion answering moderate or greater).
d“Extremely” or “quite” confident in filling out medical forms by self (Chew et al., 2008).