Table 1 Comparison of the socio-demographic characteristics of study participants
|  |  | Intervention group (n = 329) | Control group (n = 309) | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Age in years mean (SD) |  | 40.4 (± 10.5) | 39.9 (± 9.2) | 0.55 |
Place of residence n(%) | Rural | 316 (96) | 294 (95.1) | χ2 = 0.31,df = 1 p = 0.57 |
Estate | 13 (4.0) | 15 (4.9) | ||
Ethnicity n(%) | Sinhalese | 291 (88.4) | 274 (88.7) | χ2 = 0.56,df = 2 p = 0.75 |
Tamil | 8 (2.4) | 10 (3.2) | ||
Muslim | 30 (9.1) | 25 (8.1) | ||
Education n(%) | No schooling | 19 (5.8) | 16 (5.2) | χ2 = 2.75,df = 3 p = 0.43 |
Primary level (Grade 1–5) | 47 (14.3) | 58 (18.8) | ||
Junior high school | 179 (54.4) | 166 (53.7) | ||
High school or higher | 84 (25.5) | 69 (22.3) | ||
Occupation n(%) | Housewife | 219 (66.6) | 217 (70.2) | χ2 = 0.98,df = 1 p = 0.32 |
Employed | 110 (33.4) | 92 (29.8) | ||
Monthly income SLR n(%) | up to 20,000 | 153 (46.5) | 134 (43.4) | χ2 = 0.63,df = 2 p = 0.73 |
20,001–40,000 | 161 (48.9) | 160 (51.8) | ||
>40,000 | 15 (4.6) | 12 (4.9) |