Table 1. Baseline Characteristics.
| Characteristic | No. (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Identify, coordinate, and enhance (n = 829) | Individualized postural therapy (n = 1150) | Usual care (n = 992) | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 50.9 (16.0) | 52.6 (16.0) | 51.2 (16.0) |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 514 (62.0) | 688 (59.8) | 590 (59.5) |
| Male | 315 (38.0) | 462 (40.2) | 402 (40.5) |
| Race and ethnicitya | |||
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 7 (0.8) | 13 (1.1) | 11 (1.1) |
| Asian | 19 (2.3) | 43 (3.7) | 22 (2.2) |
| Black or African American | 80 (9.7) | 120 (10.4) | 207 (20.9) |
| Hispanic | 131 (15.8) | 112 (9.7) | 108 (10.9) |
| White | 604 (72.9) | 868 (75.5) | 651 (65.6) |
| Otherb | 10 (1.2) | 15 (1.3) | 9 (0.9) |
| Employed | 582 (70.2) | 771 (67.0) | 633 (63.8) |
| Education level | n = 827 | n = 1150 | n = 990 |
| High school or less | 139 (16.8) | 152 (13.2) | 277 (28.0) |
| Some college | 192 (23.2) | 296 (25.7) | 236 (23.8) |
| College or graduate degree | 496 (60.0) | 702 (61.0) | 477 (48.2) |
| BMI, median (IQR) | 28.4 (25.0-33.7) | 28.7 (25.0-33.7) | 29.4 (25.1-34.6) |
| Current smoker | 61 (7.4) | 92 (8.0) | 120 (12.1) |
| Medical historya | |||
| Depression/anxiety | 241 (29.1) | 340 (29.6) | 259 (26.1) |
| Osteoarthritis | 98 (11.8) | 121 (10.5) | 101 (10.2) |
| Diabetes | 78 (9.5) | 138 (12.0) | 119 (12.0) |
| No. of previous back and neck pain episodesc | |||
| None | 271 (32.7) | 343 (29.8) | 332 (33.5) |
| 1-2 | 189 (22.8) | 252 (21.9) | 228 (23.0) |
| 3-4 | 116 (14.0) | 179 (15.6) | 128 (12.9) |
| 5-6 | 54 (6.5) | 80 (7.0) | 70 (7.1) |
| >6 | 199 (24.0) | 296 (25.7) | 234 (23.6) |
| Chief concern | |||
| Back pain | 574 (69.2) | 811 (70.5) | 760 (76.6) |
| Back and neck pain | 71 (8.6) | 110 (9.6) | 92 (9.3) |
| Neck pain | 78 (9.4) | 114 (9.9) | 96 (9.7) |
| Otherd | 106 (12.8) | 115 (10.0) | 44 (4.4) |
| Medications taken for spine paina | |||
| NSAIDs | 366 (44.2) | 489 (42.5) | 492 (49.6) |
| Muscle relaxers | 168 (20.3) | 206 (17.9) | 185 (18.7) |
| Steroids | 61 (7.4) | 48 (4.2) | 57 (5.8) |
| Opioids | 29 (3.5) | 39 (3.4) | 61 (6.2) |
| Baseline STarT Back score, mean (SD)e | 4.9 (2.2) | 4.6 (2.2) | 4.5 (2.4) |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared); NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Participants were allowed to select multiple categories. As a result, the total percentages for each category do not add up to 100%.
The “other” category was one of the fixed categories used during data collection.
Participants self-reported whether they had previously ever had back or spine pain at any point.
Patients could have presented with other symptoms (eg, hip, arm, leg, or head pain) and were included in the trial if these symptoms were attributable to a back or neck origin.
The STartT Back tool identifies modifiable biomedical, psychological, and social risk factors to classify patients based on their risk of developing chronic pain. Scores are based on patient self-report and range from 0 (lowest risk) to 9 (highest risk).