Table 5 Quality appraisal of included quantitative studies (n = 18)
First author (year) | EPHPP criteria for quantitative studies | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Selection bias | Study design | Confounders | Blinding | Data collection | Withdrawals and dropouts | Overall rating | |
Block (2012) [24] Block (2009) [25] Gibbs (2013) [26] | Weak | Strong | Weak | Moderate | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
Brouwer (2013) [21] | Weak | Strong | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak | Weak |
Weak | Strong | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Weak | |
Christian (2014) (2) Trial 2 [10] | Weak | Strong | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
Cotter (2012) [22] | Weak | Strong | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Weak |
Cotugna (2012) [27] | Moderate | Strong | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak |
Davis (2011) [28] Gatto (2012) [29] | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Moderate |
Jaenke (2012) [15] Morgan (2010) [30] | Moderate | Moderate | Strong | Moderate | Weak | Strong | Moderate |
McAleese (2007) [16] | Weak | Strong | Weak | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Weak |
Meinen (2012) [31] | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Weak |
Morris (2001) [32] | Weak | Moderate | Weak | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak |
Morris (2002) (1) [33] Morris (2002) (2) [34] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
O’Brien (2006) [35] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak |
Parmer (2007) [36] Parmer (2009) [37] | Weak | Moderate | Weak | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak |
Ratcliffe (2011) [38] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Weak |
Robinson (2005) [39] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak |
Waliczek (2001) [17] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak | Weak |
Wells (2014) [23] | Weak | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |