Table 2.
Characteristics of eligible articles focusing on sustainability.
| Characteristic | Year |
Total (n = 136) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 n = 6 |
2015 n = 42 |
2020/2021 n = 88 |
||
| Number (%) | Number (%) | Number (%) | Number (%) | |
| Countrya | ||||
| Australia | 0 | 2 (6 %) | 6 (7 %) | 8 (6 %) |
| Canada | 0 | 1 (3 %) | 6 (7 %) | 7 (6 %) |
| United States | 3 (60 %) | 14 (39 %) | 21 (25 %) | 38 (30 %) |
| United Kingdom | 0 | 5 (14 %) | 5 (6 %) | 10 (8 %) |
| Multiple | 0 | 3 (8 %) | 5 (6 %) | 8 (6 %) |
| Otherb | 2 (40 %) | 11 (31 %) | 41 (49 %) | 54 (43 %) |
| Type of research | ||||
| Descriptive/epidemiological | 1 (17 %) | 27 (64 %) | 41 (47 %) | 69 (51 %) |
| Measurement | 0 | 0 | 2 (2 %) | 2 (1 %) |
| Interventionc | 4 (67 %) | 9 (21 %) | 33 (38 %) | 46 (34 %) |
| Review | 1 (17 %) | 6 (14 %) | 9 (10 %) | 16 (12 %) |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 3 (3 %) | 3 (2 %) |
| Research design | ||||
| Systematic review/meta-analysis | 0 | 4 (10 %) | 6 (7 %) | 10 (7 %) |
| Non-systematic review | 0 | 2 (5 %) | 4 (5 %) | 6 (4 %) |
| Randomised controlled trial | 3 (50 %) | 6 (14 %) | 13 (15 %) | 22 (16 %) |
| Non-randomised controlled trial | 1 (17 %) | 1 (2 %) | 2 (2 %) | 4 (3 %) |
| Cohort study | 1 (17 %) | 9 (21 %) | 12 (14 %) | 22 (16 %) |
| Cross-sectional study | 0 | 0 | 7 (8 %) | 7 (5 %) |
| Cost effectiveness | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mixed methods | 1 (17 %) | 9 (21 %) | 21 (24 %) | 31 (23 %) |
| Qualitative | 0 | 9 (21 %) | 20 (23 %) | 29 (21 %) |
| Other | 0 | 2 (5 %) | 3 (3 %) | 5 (4 %) |
| Setting | ||||
| Educational | 2 (33 %) | 14 (33 %) | 18 (20 %) | 34 (25 %) |
| Workplace | 0 | 1 (2 %) | 4 (5 %) | 5 (4 %) |
| Community (e.g., sporting clubs, churches, and community pharmacies) | 2 (33 %) | 18 (43 %) | 43 (49 %) | 63 (46 %) |
| Clinical | 2 (33 %) | 7 (17 %) | 21 (24 %) | 30 (22 %) |
| Other | 1 (17 %) | 2 (5 %) | 1 (1 %) | 17 (14 %) |
| Public Health focus | ||||
| Smoking | 0 | 3 (7 %) | 9 (10 %) | 12 (9 %) |
| Alcohol | 0 | 2 (5 %) | 2 (2 %) | 4 (3 %) |
| Nutrition | 0 | 6 (14 %) | 19 (22 %) | 25 (18 %) |
| Mental health | 2 (33 %) | 6 (14 %) | 7 (8 %) | 15 (11 %) |
| Physical activity | 1 (17 %) | 11 (26 %) | 18 (20 %) | 30 (22 %) |
| Substance use | 1 (17 %) | 2 (5 %) | 2 (2 %) | 5 (4 %) |
| Non-communicable disease | 0 | 1 (2 %) | 12 (14 %) | 13 (10 %) |
| Child/youth health and wellbeing | 0 | 8 (19 %) | 20 (23 %) | 28 (21 %) |
| Overweight and obesity | 0 | 0 | 7 (8 %) | 7 (5 %) |
| Women's health | 0 | 0 | 9 (10 %) | 9 (7 %) |
| Communicable diseases | 0 | 4 (10 %) | 11 (13 %) | 15 (11 %) |
| Other | 3 (50 %) | 10 (24 %) | 33 (38 %) | 46 (34 %) |
a
Cell sizes do not match total sample as some studies, especially reviews, were not conducted or focused on a specific country.
b
Other includes countries where less than a total of 5 studies were conducted in an individual country across all time periods. In most instances only one study was conducted in each individual country.
c
Only one intervention study assessed the effect of specific strategies designed to sustain the delivery of an intervention.