Prevalence and Correlates of Discomfort and Acceptability of Acupuncture among Outpatients in Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion Departments: A Cross-Sectional Study

Table 1

Characteristics of subjects.

Variables	Number	%
How’s your feeling of discomfort caused by acupuncture?
No discomfort (VAS = 0)	146	15.8
Slight discomfort (1 ≤VAS ≤ 3)	499	53.9
Moderate to severe discomfort (4 ≤ VAS ≤ 10)	280	30.3
How is your acceptability of acupuncture?
Difficult to accept	175	18.9
Easy to accept	750	81.1
Gender
Female	553	59.8
Male	372	40.2
Age
≤19	57	6.2
20–29	140	15.1
30–39	112	12.1
40–49	147	15.9
50–59	229	24.8
60–69	130	14.1
≥70	110	11.9
Educational level
Primary education and below (ISCED level: 0-1)	71	7.7
Secondary education (ISCED level: 2–4)	542	58.6
Tertiary education (ISCED level: 5–8)	312	33.7
First acupuncture experience: Is this your first acupuncture experience?
No	764	82.6
Yes	161	17.4
Fear of needles: Are you afraid of acupuncture needles?
No	729	78.8
Yes	196	21.2
Fear of pain: How much are you afraid of pain?
Not at all	304	32.9
A little	335	36.2
Very much	286	30.9
Knowledge of acupuncture: How much do you know about acupuncture?
Not at all	217	23.5
A little	530	57.3
Very well	178	19.2
Professional title of acupuncturist
Resident physician	158	17.1
Attending physician	363	39.2
Chief physician	404	43.7