Characteristics of participants in skin care education and counselling group and treatment as usual group (control) at enrolment. Values are numbers (percentages) unless stated otherwise
| Characteristics | Intervention group (n=123) | Control group (n=132) |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 117 (95) | 117 (90) |
| Median (interquartile range) age (years), SD | 45 (23-64), 9.66 | 43 (26-69), 9.99 |
| Median (interquartile range) HECSI score (0-360 range)* | 8.94 (0-43), 8.51 | 9.40 (0-62), 9.77 |
| Median (interquartile range) DLQI score (0-30 range) | 2.87 (0-21), 3.13 | 2.81 (0-24), 3.98 |
| Self evaluated disease severity: | ||
| Mild | 46 (37) | 57 (43) |
| Moderate | 70 (57) | 62 (47) |
| Severe | 6 (5) | 12 (9) |
| Very severe | 1 (1) | 1 (1) |
| Mean (interquartile range) score on knowledge of hand eczema and skin protection† | 9.41 (0-10) | 9.61 (6-10) |
| Work related outcomes | ||
| No of hand disinfections daily: | ||
| None | 2 (2) | 4 (3) |
| 1-5 | 11 (9) | 14 (11) |
| 6-10 | 11 (9) | 11 (8) |
| 11-15 | 17 (14) | 23 (17) |
| 16-20 | 26 (21) | 16 (12) |
| >20 | 55 (45) | 64 (49) |
| No of hand washings daily: | ||
| None | 3 (2) | 2 (1) |
| 1-5 | 12 (10) | 26 (20) |
| 6-10 | 38 (31) | 31 (24) |
| 11-15 | 23 (19) | 34 (26) |
| 16-20 | 21 (17) | 15 (11) |
| >20 | 25 (21) | 24 (18) |
| Use of moisturisers daily: | ||
| No | 36 (29) | 42 (32) |
| Not every day | 41 (34) | 32 (24) |
| 1-2 | 38 (31) | 49 (37) |
| >2 | 7 (6) | 9 (7) |
| Use of protective gloves (h/day): | ||
| <0.5 | 20 (18) | 19 (16) |
| 0.5-2 | 63 (57) | 63 (56) |
| 2-3 | 20 (18) | 19 (17) |
| 3-5 | 3 (3) | 9 (8) |
| >5 | 4 (4) | 3 (3) |
| Protective gloves during wet work: | ||
| Seldom or never | 20 (16) | 15 (12) |
| Sometimes | 36 (29) | 48 (36) |
| Mostly | 67 (55) | 69 (52) |
| Protective gloves while cooking: | ||
| No use | 100 (89) | 113 (88) |
| Sometimes | 9 (8) | 12 (9) |
| Yes | 3 (3) | 4 (3) |
| Protective gloves while cleaning: | ||
| No use | 81 (72) | 85 (66) |
| Sometimes | 19 (17) | 27 (21) |
| Yes | 13 (11) | 16 (13) |
| Home related outcomes | ||
| No of hand washings daily: | ||
| 1-5 | 33 (27) | 27 (21) |
| 6-10 | 59 (48) | 72 (54) |
| 11-15 | 26 (21) | 21 (16) |
| 16-20 | 1 (1) | 7 (5) |
| >20 | 3 (3) | 5 (4) |
| Moisturisers used: | ||
| No | 17 (14) | 19 (14) |
| Yes | 105 (86) | 113 (86) |
Percentages may not total 100% owing to missing data.
HECSI=hand eczema severity index; DLQI=dermatology life quality index.
*0 indicates no hand eczema.
†Multiple choice test.