Categorical variables were illustrated using both percentage distributions and numerical counts, while continuous variables were characterized using the mean accompanied by the standard deviation, and the median accompanied by the minimum and maximum values. The assessment of the normality of continuous variables encompassed a combination of visual methods such as histograms and probability plots, along with analytical tests like the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests.
In instances where data exhibited a normal distribution, Student's t-test was utilized for comparing two groups. For non-normally distributed data, the Mann-Whitney U test was applied. The comparison of categorical variables between independent groups involved Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Changes within dependent groups were evaluated using the Wilcoxon test. When performing pairwise comparisons among three or more groups, p-values were calculated while employing Bonferroni correction.
For the statistical analysis of the research data, the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc. Chicago, USA) was utilized. The significance level was set at p\<0.05. Additionally, it is important to note that p-values falling within the range of 0.1 to 0.05 were considered indicative of a statistical trend in this study.
