Baseline characteristics of the two study groups
| Variable | PEG | CG |
| (n=20) | (n=20) | |
| N (%) or mean (SD) | N (%) or mean (SD) | |
| Recruitment, N (%) | ||
| Advertisement | 6 (30) | 6 (30) |
| Hospital | 14 (70) | 14 (70) |
| Sex, N (%) | ||
| Men | 15 (75) | 13 (65) |
| Women | 5 (25) | 7 (35) |
| Marital status | ||
| Married | 16 (80) | 15 (75) |
| Single | 4 (20) | 3 (15) |
| Separated or widowed | 0 (0) | 2 (10) |
| Religion, N (%) | ||
| Hindu | 19 (95) | 16 (80) |
| Buddhist | 1 (5) | 3 (15) |
| Others | 0 (0) | 1 (5) |
| Race/ethnicity, N (%) | ||
| Chettri | 6 (30) | 5 (25) |
| Brahmin | 4 (20) | 9 (45) |
| Newar | 4 (20) | 2 (10) |
| Others | 6 (30) | 4 (20) |
| Education, N (%) | ||
| No school | 3 (15) | 2 (10) |
| Primary school (<5 years) | 3 (15) | 1 (5) |
| Upto high school (6–12 years) | 5 (25) | 8 (40) |
| Bachelor degree and over | 9 (45) | 9 (45) |
| Primary occupation, N (%) | ||
| Business or office work | 13 (65) | 7 (35) |
| Unemployed | 0 (0) | 5 (25) |
| Homemaker | 2 (10) | 3 (15) |
| Currently sick leave for LBP | 1 (5) | 1 (5) |
| Other | 4 (20) | 2 (10) |
| Smoking history, N (%) | ||
| Never smoked | 10 (50) | 12 (60) |
| Currently smoker | 8 (40) | 5 (25) |
| Have quit smoking | 2 (10) | 3 (15) |
| Have left work for more than 1 month due to LBP, N (%) | ||
| Yes | 4 (20) | 4 (20) |
| No | 16 (80) | 16 (80) |
| Medications used for LBP, N (%) | ||
| NSAIDs | 3 (15) | 6 (30) |
| Pregabalin | 2 (10) | 3 (15) |
| Vitamin B12 | 3 (15) | 1 (5) |
| Gabapentin | 1 (5) | 0 (0) |
| Opioids | 1 (5) | 0 (0) |
| Antidepressant | 1 (5) | 0 (0) |
| Secondary outcomes | ||
| Pain intensity* | 54.38 (3.48) | 52.72 (2.45) |
| Pain interference* | 62.28 (6.62) | 58.92 (7.69) |
| Sleep disturbance* | 51.84 (7.68) | 45.63 (8.71) |
| Depression* | 56.99 (8.08) | 53.60 (11.25) |
| Quality of life | 5.70 (1.22) | 6.10 (1.21) |
| Pain catastrophising | 22.70 (10.99) | 20.50 (12.56) |
| Resilience | 26.95 (9.14) | 28.60 (8.08) |
*T scores.
CG, control group; LBP, low back pain; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; PEG, pain education group.