Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of the study sample (N = 163)
Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
Sex, female, n (%) | 115 (71.0) |
Age in years, mean (SD) | 51 (11.0) |
Education level, n (%) | |
Primary degree (9 grades) | 8 (4.9) |
Secondary degree (10 grades) | 48 (29.6) |
High school degree (12/13 grades) | 106 (65.4) |
MS diagnosis, n (%) | |
Suspicion of MS | 8 (4.9) |
MS diagnosis | 154 (95.1) |
Years with MS since diagnosis, mean (SD)1 | 14 (9.8) |
MS type, n (%) | |
Relapsing–remitting MS | 87 (53.7) |
Secondary-progressive MS | 41 (25.3) |
Primary-progressive MS | 23 (14.2) |
Unclear | 11 (6.8) |
Patient determined disease steps (PDDS), mean (SD) | 3.1 (2.2) |
Website browsed, n (%) | |
DMSG Hamburg | 106 (65.4) |
Usage of this website prior to this study | |
Regular use (> 2 times over the past year) | 28 (26.4) |
Occasional use (1–2 over the past year) | 26 (24.5) |
Infrequent use (more than a year ago) | 28 (26.4) |
No usage | 24 (22.6) |
AMSEL | 56 (34.6) |
Usage of this website prior to this study | |
Regular use (> 2 times over the past year) | 19 (33.9) |
Occasional use (1–2 over the past year) | 14 (25.0) |
Infrequent use (more than a year ago) | 12 (21.4) |
No usage | 11 (19.6) |