Comparing Acupuncture With Medication to Reduce Depression, Anxiety and Comorbid Sleep Disorders in China

Between-groups and within-subjects mean change in depression

Changes in depression will be measured with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The PHQ-9 is a versatile tool for screening, diagnosing, monitoring, and assessing depression severity. The prompt instruction is: Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? Example of items: "Little interest or pleasure in doing things"; "Feeling down, depressed, or hopeless". Scoring options include: 0=not at all, 1=several days, 2=more than half of the days, 3=nearly every day. Lower mean values suggest aggregate reductions in depression.

Between-groups and within-subjects mean change in anxiety

Change in anxiety will be measured with the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7). GAD-7 is a brief measure for symptoms of anxiety, based on the generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) diagnostic criteria described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The prompt instruction is: Over the last 2 weeks, how often have you been bothered by any of the following problems? Example of items: "Feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge"; "Not being able to stop or control worrying". Scoring options include: 0=not at all, 1=several days, 2=more than half of the days, 3=nearly every day. Lower mean values suggest aggregate reductions in anxiety.

Between-groups and within-subjects mean change in sleep condition

Changes in sleep will be measured with Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI). The Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI) is an eight-item rating scale that was developed to screen for insomnia disorder based on DSM-5 criteria. It has been shown previously to have good psychometric properties among several language translations. The prompt instruction is: Thinking about a typical night in the last month... Example of items: "How long does it take you to fall asleep?"; "How would you rate your sleep quality?". Scoring options from 0 to 4, SCI total from minimum 0 to maximum 32; a higher score means better sleep.

Between-groups Comparative Environmental Footprint

To calculate the comparative environmental impacts of acupuncture versus antidepressants to reduce postpartum depression, we will consider a range of factors including list of resources, quantities used (e.g., electricity, water), emissions factors and indirect emissions e.g., supply chain. We will follow validated calculation methods for healthcare, which will allow to identify, measure and evaluate the total emission impacts of different health treatments. This calculation will document all resources used in both arms of the trial, including medications, acupuncture materials, travel, infrastructure use (e.g., clinic space), and any other resources engaged during the trial. Both treatments have waste that must be managed. We will normalize the footprint data per patient or per unit of clinical improvement to facilitate a direct comparison between the two treatments. The final single, combined value will be reported as CO2 emissions in tonnes.

Between-groups and within-subjects mean change in Side Effects

Participants will be asked to rate the frequency of possible side effects. The prompt instruction is: How often have you been bothered by these problems in the last 2 weeks? Nausea; Headache; Tremor/ shaking hands; Heart palpitations; Constipation; Dizziness; Indigestion; Pain; Insomnia; Fatigue. Scoring options include: 0=not at all, 1=several days, 2=more than half of the days, 3=nearly every day. Lower values suggest lower rates of side effects.

Between-groups Comparative Cost-Effectiveness (Exploratory)

To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis, we will delineate all direct and indirect costs associated with interventions, including treatment session fees, medication costs, healthcare professional time, and travel expenses for patients. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) will be calculated by comparing the difference in mean costs to the difference in mean effectiveness between the two treatments, with effectiveness measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained, derived from validated, condition-specific health-related quality of life measures. A decision-analytic model will be employed to extrapolate trial results to a longer time horizon, and sensitivity analyses involving varying key parameters will be used to assess the robustness of the results and account for uncertainty in the trial data and model projections.

Alcohol Use Rate (Exploratory)

Alcohol use rate will be evaluated with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C). One question: How often do you have a drink containing alcohol? From Never (0), Monthly or less (1), 2-4 month (2), 2-3 times per week (3) to 4+ times per week (4).

Smoking Rate (Exploratory)

Smoking rate will be measured with the Cigarette Dependence Scale short version (CDS). The CDS scale will ask e.g., On average, how many cigarettes do you smoke per day? From zero (0) I don't smoke to 30+ (5).

Between-groups and within-subjects mean change in Social Media Addiction (Exploratory)

The Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) (21) will be used to evaluate mean changes in phone use behavior. This scale comprises six items (e.g., "My smartphone is the most important thing in my life"). The six items are responded to using a five-point Likert type scale ranging between 1 (very rarely) and 5 (very often).