Table 3.
Critical Appraisal of the Selected Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) (Tufanaru et al.20).
| Studies/total score | Was true randomization used for the assignment of participants to treatment groups? | Was allocation to treatment groups concealed? | Were treatment groups similar at the baseline? | Were participants blind to treatment assignment? | Were those delivering treatment blind to treatment assignment? | Were outcomes assessors blind to treatment assignment? | Were treatment groups treated identically other than the intervention of interest? | Was follow-up complete and if not, were differences between groups in terms of their follow-up adequately described and analyzed? | Were participants analyzed in the groups to which they were randomized? | Were outcomes measured in the same way for treatment groups? | Were outcomes measured in a reliable way? | Was appropriate statistical analysis used? | Was the trial design appropriate, and were any deviations from the standard RCT design (individual randomization, parallel groups) accounted for in the conduct and analysis of the trial? | Total (13) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meischke et al.23 | Y | Y | N | Y | U | U | Y | Y | Y | Y | U | Y | Y | 9 |
| Hedges et al.24 | Y | Y | Y | U | U | U | Y | Y | Y | Y | U | Y | Y | 9 |
| Luepker et al.25 | Y | Y | Y | U | U | U | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 10 |
| Meischke et al.26 | Y | U | Y | U | U | U | Y | Y | Y | Y | U | Y | Y | 8 |
| Meischke et al.27 | Y | Y | Y | Y | U | Y | Y | U | Y | Y | U | Y | U | 9 |
| Meischke et al.29 | Y | Y | U | Y | U | U | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 10 |
| Tullmann et al.30 | Y | Y | N | U | N | U | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 9 |
| Meisinger et al.32 | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | 12 |
| Kirchberger et al.33 | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | Y | 11 |