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Table 2 Baseline characteristics of participants by study type

From: Three randomized controlled trials evaluating the impact of “spin” in health news stories reporting studies of pharmacologic treatments on patients’/caregivers’ interpretation of treatment benefit

 

Preclinical study

Phase I/II non-randomized trial

Phase III/IV RCT

Spin (N = 150)

No spin* (N = 150)

Total (N = 299)

Spin (N = 150)

No spin (N = 150)

Total (N = 300)

Spin (N = 150)

No spin (N = 150)

Total (N = 300)

Participants

 Patient

142 (94.6%)

138 (92.6%)

280 (93.7%)

134 (89.3%)

136 (90.7%)

270 (90%)

135 (90%)

137 (91.3%)

272 (90.7%)

 Caregiver

4 (2.7%)

5 (3.4%)

9 (3.0%)

9 (6.0%)

8 (5.3%)

17 (5.7%)

10 (6.7%)

9 (6.0%)

19 (6.3%)

 Others

4 (2.7%)

6 (4.0%)

10 (3.3%)

7 (4.7%)

6 (4.0%)

13 (4.3%)

5 (3.3%)

4 (2.7%)

9 (3.0%)

Age

 18–29

1 (0.7%)

5 (3.4%)

6 (2.0%)

5 (3.3%)

2 (1.3%)

7 (2.3%)

2 (1.3%)

3 (2.0%)

5 (1.6%)

 30–49

26 (17.3%)

24 (16.1%)

50 (16.7%)

20 (13.3%)

22 (14.7%)

42 (14.0%)

29 (19.4%)

27 (18.0%)

56 (18.7%)

 50–69

88 (58.7%)

90 (60.4%)

178 (59.5%)

95 (63.4%)

90 (60.0%)

185 (61.7%)

102 (68.0%)

90 (60.0%)

192 (64.0%)

 ≥ 70

35 (23.3%)

30 (20.1%)

65 (21.7%)

30 (20.0%)

36 (24.0%)

66 (22.0%)

17 (11.3%)

30 (20.0%)

47 (15.7%)

Sex (female)

123 (82.0%)

119 (79.9%)

242 (80.9%)

143 (95.3%)

134 (89.3%)

277 (92.3%)

120 (80.0%)

125 (83.3%)

245 (81.7%)

Frequency of reading news stories

 Never

1 (0.7%)

3 (2.0%)

4 (1.3%)

0 (0.0%)

1 (0.7%)

1 (0.3%)

1 (0.7%)

1 (0.7%)

2 (0.7%)

 1/month

4 (2.7%)

4 (2.7%)

8 (2.7%)

9 (6.0%)

9 (6.0%)

18 (6.0%)

4 (2.7%)

2 (1.3%)

6 (2.0%)

 1/week

14 (9.3%)

17 (11.4%)

31 (10.4%)

21 (14.0%)

10 (6.7%)

31 (10.3%)

15 (10.0%)

20 (13.3%)

35 (11.7%)

 Daily

131 (87.3%)

125 (83.9%)

256 (85.6%)

120 (80.0%)

130 (86.6%)

250 (83.4%)

130 (86.6%)

127 (84.7%)

257 (85.6%)

Rely on health news stories to make decisions about health

86 (57.3%)

80 (53.7%)

166 (55.5%)

88 (58.7%)

98 (65.3%)

186 (62.0%)

89 (59.3%)

83 (55.3%)

172 (57.3%)

Primary source of information about new treatments

 Online health news

62 (41.3%)

62 (41.6%)

124 (41.5%)

76 (50.7%)

68 (45.3%)

144 (48.0%)

65 (43.3%)

55 (36.7%)

120 (40.0%)

 Physicians

63 (42.0%)

59 (39.6%)

122 (40.8%)

44 (29.3%)

50 (33.3%)

94 (31.3%)

55 (36.7%)

62 (41.3%)

117 (39.0%)

 Family or friends

1 (0.7%)

1 (0.7%)

2 (0.7%)

4 (2.7%)

2 (1.4%)

6 (2.0%)

3 (2.0%)

1 (0.7%)

4 (1.3%)

 Television

1 (0.7%)

2 (1.3%)

3 (1.0%)

1 (0.7%)

0 (0.0%)

1 (0.3%)

1 (0.7%)

4 (2.7%)

5 (1.7%)

 Social media

7 (4.7%)

8 (5.4%)

15 (5.0%)

8 (5.3%)

6 (4.0%)

14 (4.7%)

12 (8.0%)

6 (4.0%)

18 (6.0%)

 Others

16 (10.6%)

17 (11.4%)

33 (11.0%)

17 (11.3%)

24 (16.0%)

41 (13.7%)

14 (9.3%)

22 (14.6%)

36 (12.0%)

  1. RCT randomized controlled trial
  2. *The baseline data were missing for one participant