Selected Characteristics of Participating Patients at Baseline
| Categories | E-Mail Group(N = 67) | Control Group(N = 33) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | N | % | |
| Age (years) | ||||
| 30 to 49 | 12 | 41.8 | 7 | 21.2 |
| 50 to 65 | 17 | 35.8 | 19 | 57.6 |
| >65 | 38 | 22.4 | 7 | 21.2 |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 33 | 49.3 | 18 | 54.5 |
| Male | 29 | 43.3 | 14 | 42.4 |
| Missing data | 5 | 1 | ||
| Average number of years in practice | 8.6 | 11.3 | ||
| Highest level of education completed | ||||
| High School | 17 | 25.4 | 6 | 18.2 |
| College | 23 | 34.3 | 14 | 42.4 |
| Graduate School | 26 | 38.8 | 12 | 36.4 |
| Missing data | 1 | 1 | ||
| I find it easy to use e-mail | ||||
| Agree to strongly agree | 58 | 86.5 | 29 | 87.9 |
| The number of hours spent using my computer each week | ||||
| <1 hour | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 to 10 hours | 33 | 49.3 | 16 | 48.5 |
| 10 to 20 hours | 12 | 17.9 | 5 | 15.2 |
| >20 hours | 18 | 26.8 | 11 | 33.3 |
| Missing data | 1 | |||
| Use internet for* | ||||
| Health information | 47 | 58 | 23 | 69.7 |
| Entertainment | 26 | 32.1 | 16 | 48.5 |
| News | 42 | 31.9 | 23 | 69.7 |
| Business/finance | 36 | 44.4 | 19 | 57.6 |
| Shopping | 37 | 45.7 | 17 | 51.5 |
* Responses are not mutually exclusive.