Skip to main content

Table 4 Patient reported baseline characteristics

From: GLA:D® Back: group-based patient education integrated with exercises to support self-management of persistent back pain — feasibility of implementing standardised care by a course for clinicians

 

Missing values, % of responders to baseline questionnaire

(n = 250)

Before-group (n = 84)

After-group (n = 77)

GLA:D Back group (n = 89)

Females, n (%)

1%

50 (60%)

49 (65%)

57 (65%)

Age, mean (SD)

0.4%

47.8 (13.7)

46.4 (15.5)

54.8 (13.4)

No qualification

6%

12 (16%)

13 (17%)

10 (12%)

Vocational training

 

22 (29%)

25 (33%)

20 (24%)

Higher education < 3 years

 

11 (15%)

12 (16%)

12 (14%)

Higher education > 3 years

 

30 (40%)

25 (33%)

42 (50%)

Ordinary work

2%

53 (65%)

47 (62%)

52 (59%)

Unemployed

 

4 (5%)

4 (5%)

0 (0%)

Rehabilitation

 

3 (4%)

5 (7%)

4 (5%)

Retired

 

13(16%)

11 (14%)

31 (30%)

Student/housewife/other

 

9 (11%)

9 (12%)

5 (6%)

Pain duration

1%

   

 < 4 weeks

 

10 (12%)

15 (20%)

7 (8%)

 4–12 weeks

 

11 (13%)

14 (18%)

8 (9%)

 3–12 months

 

21 (25%)

19 (25%)

28 (32%)

 > 1 year

 

41 (49%)

28 (37%)

45 (51%)

Previous episodes

1%

   

 0

 

19 (23%)

20 (26%)

22 (25%)

 1

 

23 (28%)

12 (16%)

14 (16%)

 2–3

 

17 (20%)

12 (16%)

15 (17%)

 > 3

 

24 (29%)

32 (42%)

37 (42%)

Time since treatment initiated

2%

   

 < 2 weeks

 

18 (22%)

25 (33%)

12 (14%)

 2–4 weeks

 

13 (16%)

10 (13%)

15 (17%)

 > 4 weeks

 

52 (63%)

40 (53%)

60 (69%)

No. of health care visits for present LBP

2%

   

 1

 

16 (19%)

19 (25%)

15 (17%)

 2–5

 

52 (63%)

45 (60%)

58 (67%)

 6–10

 

10 (12%)

7 (9%)

12 (14%)

 > 10

 

5 (6%)

4 (5%)

2 (2%)

Pain medication

1%

   

 None

 

38 (46%)

40 (56%)

39 (44%)

 Over the counter

 

20 (24%)

15 (29%)

21 (24%)

 Prescription

 

24 (29%)

18 (24%)

29 (33%)

START Back risk

6%

   

 Low

[any of 9 items missing]

41 (55%)

38 (51%)

40 (46%)

 Medium

 

24 (32%)

22 (30%)

25 (29%)

 High

 

10 (13%)

14 (19%)

22 (25%)

Oswestry Disability Index, mean (SD)

1% [≥ 4 of 10 items missing]

20.6 (11.2)

21.0 (12.3)

25.1 (11.9)

Back pain (0–10)

1%

5.0 (2.2)

5.7 (2.3)

5.0 (2.1)

Leg pain (0–10)

1%

2.5 (2.5)

3.0 (2.8)

3.0 (2.6)

Sick leave last 3 months*

1%

   

 0 days

 

41 (77%)

36 (77%)

36 (71%)

 1–14 days

 

10 (19%)

7 (15%)

10 (20%)

 > 15 days

 

2 (4%)

4 (9%)

5 (10%)

Illness perceptions, mean (SD)

2% [≥ 3 of 9 items missing]

39.9 (11.8)

41.1 (11.8)

42.1 (10.0)

Fear-avoidance beliefs, mean (SD)

5% [any of 4 items missing]

10.3 (5.9)

8.5 (5.9)

8.6 (5.9)

Mental wellbeing, mean (SD)

4% [any of 5 items missing]

70.7 (16.2)

72.5 (16.8)

71.9 (18.1)

Impaired social functioning

3%

11 (14%)

15 (20%)

24 (27%)

Back pain enablement

6% [any of 6 items missing]

40.4 (12.6)

41.5 (11.0)

39.5 (12.2)

Perceived physical fitness (0–40)

1%

18.7 (6.1)

20.4 (6.0)

17.7 (5.7)

Pain or restricted movement in forward bending

3%

49 (58%)

41 (58%)

60 (68%)

Seconds of trunk flexor endurance (0–120), mean (SD)

11%

52.6 (33.7)

55.5 (35.2)

49.1 (32.8)

Seconds of extensor endurance (0–180), mean (SD)

21%

76.8 (55.0)

88.6 (61.6)

71.9 (56.4)

Impaired straight leg raise test one or both sides

3%

28 (33%)

23 (32%)

27 (31%)

  1. Before-group participants recruited prior to implementation of GLA:D Back, after-group participants recruited after the implementation
  2. * Among those working