Characteristics of Study Participants
| Characteristic | Futility Group (n = 119) | Adverse Effects Group (n = 104) | Control Group (n = 102) | Total (N = 325) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, median (IQR), y | 36 (28-56) | 42 (32-56) | 40 (29-58) | 39 (31-49) |
| Sex, No. (%) | ||||
| Male | 38 (32) | 30 (29) | 33 (32) | 101 (31) |
| Female | 81 (68) | 74 (71) | 69 (68) | 224 (69) |
| Ethnicity, No. (%) | ||||
| New Zealand European | 92 (77) | 94 (90) | 87 (85) | 273 (84) |
| Asian | 17 (14) | 8 (8) | 6 (6) | 31 (10) |
| Pacific | 5 (4) | 2 (2) | 4 (4) | 11 (3) |
| Māori | 5 (5) | 0 | 5 (5) | 10 (3) |
| Highest education level,a No. (%) | ||||
| School | 16 (14) | 22 (21) | 15 (15) | 53 (16) |
| Trade/other | 18 (15) | 21 (20) | 19 (19) | 58 (18) |
| University | 83 (71) | 60 (58) | 68 (67) | 211 (65) |
| Predominant symptoms,b No. (%) | ||||
| Cough | 85 (71) | 77 (74) | 78 (77) | 240 (74) |
| Sore throat | 64 (54) | 50 (48) | 51 (50) | 165 (51) |
| Nasal | 68 (57) | 56 (54) | 61 (60) | 185 (57) |
| Earache | 29 (24) | 28 (27) | 22 (22) | 79 (24) |
| Child (aged 0-7 years), No. (%) | 34 (29) | 26 (25) | 31 (30) | 91 (28) |
| Antibiotic prescription received,c No. (%) | 34 (31) | 28 (29) | 31 (32) | 93 (30) |
| Antibiotic dispensed,d No. (%) | 34 (31) | 22 (22) | 28 (29) | 84 (28) |
IQR = interquartile range.
Note: Distribution of participants: 37% in futility group, 32% in adverse effects group, and 31% in control group.
↵a Three participants did not answer this question.
↵b Participants were asked to select all symptoms that applied.
↵c A total of 306 participants answered this question.
↵d A total of 304 participants had this information available.