| COTC users | Non-users | P (χ2) | Total sample | Hong Kong population |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
(n = 789) % | (n = 311) % | (n = 1100) % (95% CI) | |||
Gender | Â | Â | 0.284 | Â | Â |
 Male | 46.3% | 49.8% |  | 47.3% (44.3-50.2) | 46.6%a |
 Female | 53.7% | 50.2% |  | 52.7% (49.9-55.7) | 53.4% |
Age group | Â | Â | 0.782 | Â | Â |
 18 – 24 y | 10.0% | 9.0% |  | 9.7% (8.0-11.5) | 10.2%a |
 25 – 34 y | 18.4% | 21.5% |  | 19.3% (16.9-21.6) | 18.2% |
 35 – 44 y | 19.5% | 18.0% |  | 19.1% (16.8-21.4) | 19.0% |
 45 – 54 y | 22.1% | 20.3% |  | 21.5% (19.1-24.0) | 21.6% |
 55 – 64 y | 15.3% | 14.8% |  | 15.2% (13.1-17.3) | 15.4% |
 65 y or above | 14.7% | 16.4% |  | 15.2% (13.9-17.3) | 15.6% |
Education | Â | Â | 0.627 | Â | Â |
 No formal schooling/Primary | 15.9% | 16.8% |  | 16.2% (13.9-18.3) | 25.4%b |
 Secondary 1 - 7 | 55.5% | 57.6% |  | 56.1% (52.8-58.7) | 51.5% |
 At least some post-secondary | 28.6% | 25.7% |  | 27.6% (24.9-30.2) | 22.9% |
Household income (1 USD = 7.8 HKD) | Â | Â | < 0.001 | Â | Â |
 < 15000 HKD/month | 22.5% | 31.6% |  | 25.1% (22.3-27.8) | 43.1%b |
 15000 – 29999 HKD/month | 46.2% | 33.8% |  | 42.8% (39.7-45.9) | 30.0% |
 > 30000 HKD/month | 31.2% | 34.6% |  | 32.2% (29.2-35.1) | 26.9% |
Employment status | Â | Â | 0.402 | Â | Â |
 Employed at least part-time | 51.2% | 50.0% |  | 50.9% (47.9-53.8) | 52.1%c |
 Homemaker | 25.0% | 22.6% |  | 24.3% (21.8-26.8) | 18.5% |
 Other (student, unemployed, retired) | 23.8% | 27.4% |  | 24.9% (29.2-35.1) | 29.0% |
Health insurance | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Have health insurance | 52.3% | 48.5% | 0.263 | 51.2% (48.2-54.1) | NA |
Self-perceived health status | Â | Â | <0.001 | Â | Â |
 Very good/Good | 49.1% | 55.2% |  | 50.8% (47.8-53.7) | NA |
 About average | 46.8% | 38.5% |  | 44.5% (41.5-47.4) |  |
 Bad/Very bad | 4.0% | 6.5% |  | 4.8% (3.5-6.0) |  |
COTC-related adverse event history | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
 Reported past year adverse event | 3.2% | NA |  | 2.3% (1.3-3.1) | NA |
Correct response to COTC knowledge items (correct answer in parentheses) | Â | Â | Â | ||
Cannot cause long term bodily damage (No) | 24.0% | 19.0% | 0.09 | 22.7% (20.2-25.2) | NA |
Can negatively interact w/western drugs (Yes) | 80.5% | 77.5% | 0.224 | 79.5% (77.1-81.9) | NA |
Can have interactions with herbal TCM (Yes) | 51.6% | 41.8% | 0.003 | 48.9% (45.9-51.8) | NA |
COTC may have side effects (Yes) | 73.9% | 66.9% | 0.984 | 71.9% (69.2-74.5) | NA |
Used only for acute illness (e.g. flu) (No) | 45.3% | 47.9% | 0.443 | 47.2% (44.2-50.1) | NA |
Overdose is possible (Yes) | 53.3% | 53.2% | 0.982 | 53.3% (50.3-56.2) | NA |