Table 1 Baseline characteristics of patients with rheumatic conditions
| Full sample (n = 3230) | Waiting time groups | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 2 months (n = 947) | 2–6 months (n = 1029) | > 6 months (n = 1254) |
Group test p value d | ||
| Age, mean (SD a) | 55.8 (14.0) | 57.1 (15.0) | 54.9 (13.9) | 55.5 (13.4) | 0.001 |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.032 | ||||
| Female | 2138 (66.2) | 641 (67.7) | 648 (63.0) | 849 (67.7) | |
| Male | 1090 (33.7) | 305 (32.2) | 380 (36.9) | 405 (32.3) | |
| Race/Ethnicity, n (%) | 0.377 | ||||
| Caucasian | 2991 (92.6) | 882 (93,1) | 943 (91,6) | 1166 (93) | |
| Other | 237 (7.3) | 64 (6.8) | 85 (8.3) | 88 (7.0) | |
| Civil status, n (%) | 0.004 | ||||
| Married or common law | 1782 (55.2) | 544 (57.4) | 592 (57.5) | 646 (51.5) | |
| Single, separated/divorced or widowed | 1447 (44.8) | 403 (42.6) | 436 (42.4) | 608 (48.5) | |
| Education, n (%) | 0.005 | ||||
| Primary/None | 321 (9.9) | 96 (10.1) | 89 (8.6) | 136 (10.8) | |
| Secondary | 1242 (38.5) | 325 (34.3) | 404 (39.3) | 513 (40.9) | |
| CEGEP or Technical school | 871 (27.0) | 257 (27.1) | 279 (27.1) | 335 (26.7) | |
| University | 791 (24.5) | 266 (28.1) | 255 (24.8) | 270 (21.5) | |
| Employment status b, n (%) | < 0.001 | ||||
| Full-time/part-time job | 785 (24.3) | 263 (27.8) | 240 (23.3) | 282 (22.5) | |
| On permanent disability | 657 (20.3) | 120 (12.7) | 212 (20.6) | 325 (25.9) | |
| On temporary disability | 515 (15.9) | 157 (16.6) | 194 (18.9) | 164 (13.1) | |
| Retired | 787 (24.4) | 270 (28.5) | 223 (21.7) | 294 (23.4) | |
| Other (including unemployed, student, homemaker and volunteer) | 485 (15.0) | 137 (14.5) | 159 (15.5) | 189 (15.1) | |
| Household income $CDN/year, n (%) | < 0.001 | ||||
| < 35,000 | 1474 (45.6) | 368 (38.9) | 448 (43.5) | 658 (52.5) | |
| 35,000-79,999 | 961 (29.8) | 308 (32.5) | 299 (29.1) | 354 (28.2) | |
| ≥ 80,000 | 416 (12.9) | 147 (15.5) | 149 (14.5) | 120 (9.6) | |
| Pain duration (years), mean (SD) | 6.8 (8.9) | 5.0 (7.7) | 6.8 (8.6) | 8.3 (9.6) | < 0.001 |
| Main psychological comorbidities | |||||
| Depression, n (%) | 1477 (45.7) | 369 (39.0) | 474 (46.1) | 634 (50.6) | < 0.001 |
| Anxiety, n (%) | 1348 (41.7) | 355 (37.5) | 422 (41.0) | 571 (45.5) | 0.001 |
| Number of comorbidities, mean (SD) | 3.0 (2.1) | 2.8 (2.0) | 3.0 (2.0) | 3.2 (2.1) | < 0.001 |
| Diagnosis, n (%) | < 0.001 | ||||
| Osteoarthritis only | 668 (20.7) | 199 (21.0) | 214 (20.8) | 255 (20.3) | |
| Fibromyalgia only | 678 (21.0) | 154 (16.3) | 254 (24.7) | 270 (21.5) | |
| Rheumatoid arthritis only | 41 (1.3) | 13 (1.4) | 14 (1.4) | 14 (1.1) | |
| Fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis | 171 (5.3) | 37 (3.9) | 40 (3.9) | 94 (7.5) | |
| Joint pain, effusion and other unspecified joint disorders only | 693 (21.5) | 260 (27.5) | 198 (19.2) | 235 (18.7) | |
| Other rheumatic conditions or combinations of conditions c | 979 (30.3) | 284 (30.0) | 309 (30.0) | 386 (30.8) | |