Participant characteristics
| Total study population, n = 80 | Acupuncture group, n = 39 | Control group, n = 41 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean years (range) | 51 (25–81) | 51 (29–81) | 50 (25–76) |
| Sex, female n (%) | 64 (80) | 32 (82) | 32 (78) |
| Ethnicity, white n (%) | 57 (71) | 30 (77) | 27 (66) |
| Education, % | |||
| No formal qualifications | 25 | 23 | 27 |
| School-age qualifications | 50 | 51 | 49 |
| Degree or higher qualifications | 25 | 26 | 24 |
| Social class, n (%) | |||
| 0 (never worked) | 3 (4) | 1 (3) | 2 (5) |
| 1 | 3 (4) | 1(3) | 2 (5) |
| 2 | 25 (31) | 15 (38) | 10 (24) |
| 3M | 8 (10) | 5 (13) | 3 (8) |
| 3N | 22 (28) | 8 (20) | 14 (34) |
| 4 | 18 (22) | 8 (20) | 10 (24) |
| 5 | 1 (1) | 1 (3) | 0 |
| Duration of complaint, n (%) | |||
| 4–12 weeks | 2 (2) | 1 (3) | 1 (2) |
| 3 months to 1 year | 13 (16) | 6 (15) | 7 (17) |
| 1–5 years | 39 (49) | 15 (38) | 24 (59) |
| Over 5 years | 26 (33) | 17 (46) | 9 (22) |
| Type of problema | |||
| Musculoskeletal | 47 (60) | 20 (51) | 27 (66) |
| Psychological/emotional | 10 (12.5) | 5 (13) | 5 (12) |
| Headache and neurological | 10 (12.5) | 4 (10) | 6 (15) |
| Fatigue | 5 (6) | 4 (10) | 1 (2) |
| Other | 7 (9) | 6 (16) | 2 (5) |
↵a Categorised by International Classification of Primary Care58 from MYMOP symptom 1.