Table 1 Results of the methodological quality appraisal (Effective Public Health Practice Project) of the included studies
Component | Thubisi | Bickell | Lomas |
|---|---|---|---|
Selection bias avoided | Strong | Strong | Strong |
Allocation bias avoided | Moderate | Strong | Moderate |
Confounders avoided | Strong | Strong | Strong |
Blinding (but not considered when calculating global quality score) | Weak | Weak | Weak |
Data collection methods | Weak | Strong | Strong |
Withdrawals & Drop-outs | Strong | Strong | Strong |
Analysis: Intention to treat | Strong | Strong | Weak |
Intervention integrity: % of participants that received allocated intervention | Strong | Strong | Strong |
Global quality score | Moderate | Strong | Moderate |
Include study | Yes | Yes | Yes |