Table 3:

Intervention characteristics

Study	Intervention/sample frame	Follow-up	Intervention strategy and intensity	Comparator
Ahn and Kim,48 2020	Quasi-experimental study including older women recruited from an Elderly Health Promotion Center in South Korea	6 months	Physical activity Exercise program that was made up of combined workouts of elastic band resistance exercise and aerobics with dance music, 3 times/week for 6 months with each session lasting 60 minutes	N/A
al Mheid I et al.,39 2016	Quasi-experimental study including participants recruited from university-sponsored health insurance plans in Atlanta	24 months	Health risk assessment and lifestyle counseling Trained health partners supported participants via weekly to monthly email or phone contacts and met with them during 6-, 12-, and 24-months follow-up. Counseling focused on healthier lifestyle (physical activity, body weight, cholesterol, glucose, stress, diet, and smoking habits).	N/A
Anand et al.,53 2016	RCT including participants recruited from Toronto and Vancouver, Canada	6 months	Diet and physical activity Participants received 2 types of messages: i) stages of change–oriented motivational messages, sent by email every 2 weeks; and ii) health tips focused on diet and physical activity sent by email/text messages (participant’s choice) every week. Access SAHARA website for prevention advice.	Attention control Visit SAHARA website
Balducci et al.,61 2012	RCT including participants with diabetes recruited from outpatient diabetes clinics in Italy	12 months	Physical activity Twice-a-week supervised aerobic and resistance training plus exercise	Usual care Counseling only
Baldwin,52 2015	Quasi-experimental study including community-dwelling adult Hispanic women in Minnesota, USA	3 months	Diet, physical activity, and motivational interviewing A combination of physical activity classes and walking, assignments, wellness education classes, cooking, motivational interviewing groups, and health coaching. Lifestyle modification, education classes, and individualized health coaching were scripted and delivered by nursing students. A total of 14 active-phase classes were conducted.	N/A
Bebenek et al.,57 2010	RCT including early post-menopausal women living independently in Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany	12 months	Physical activity Group 1 (exercise program): High-intensity resistance/high-impact exercise interspersed by blocks of 10 weeks of training focusing on cardiovascular parameters Group 2 (Exercise + CR): Exercise program in addition to 40mg/day CR.	Wellness program Activities: coordination, relaxation, walk, dances, games, breath, balance, endurance, muscle strength, and flexibility
Bernocchi et al.,49 2011	Quasi-experimental study including participants recruited from a clinic in Italy	6 months	Health risk assessment and lifestyle counseling using telemedicine Multidisciplinary approach that included scheduled home visits, telehealth counseling to evaluate weight management and physical activity, smoking, dietary habits, and stress. Participants had to undergo at ≥3 sessions a week of bicycle exercise training or fast walking for at least 30 minutes and calisthenics	N/A
Chan et al.,47 2012.	Quasi-experimental study including participants recruited from a rehabilitation hospital in Hong Kong	10 weeks	Diet and physical activity The intervention included 14 sessions of empowerment workshops on cardiovascular health, diet, and community exercise classes. During the empowerment sessions, a physiotherapist and a nurse facilitated subjects to adopt healthy behaviors and lifestyle through active and mutual participation, goals setting, action planning, self-reflection, and peer-support.	N/A
Curtis et al.,59 2012	RCT including post-menopausal women with type 2 DM recruited from a Clinic in the UK	12 months	Diet 27 g/day (split dose) of flavonoid-enriched chocolate (850 mg flavan-3-ols and 100 mg isoflavones/day)	Placebo chocolate Taken daily, twice a day for a year like the flavonoid-enriched chocolate
Elramli,55 2017	RCT including participants recruited from rheumatology outpatient clinics in Glasgow, UK	6 months	Physical activity 6 interactive weekly sessions lasting about 1 hour. In addition, a physiotherapist contacted the participants at the end of weeks 7, 9, and 11 to discuss their step counts for the past month, their step goals for the following month, any barriers to PA they faced and how they planned to overcome them. Participants also received 2 booster sessions, at 3 and 6 months after starting the program.	Education handout on diet and exercise One education session regarding the importance of exercise and a healthy diet. Participants were given written education material and encouraged to read it.
Fontana, et al.60 2007	RCT including participants recruited from the St. Louis metropolitan area, USA	12 months	Physical activity The exercise prescription started with about 16% increase in energy expenditure over baseline expenditure for 3 months followed by a 20% increase for the final 9 months. Exercise trainers worked with participants individually to establish and monitor their exercise routines, provide advice, encouragement, and update exercise prescriptions weekly. Diet The goal was to decrease energy intake without changing energy expenditure. The CR prescription started with a 16% decrease below the participants’ baseline energy intake for 3 months and then increased to 20% for the remaining 9 months. For 5 days during the first month participants received all meals from the research study.	Yoga classes and healthy diet handouts The control group received general information about a healthy diet and were offered free yoga classes.
Hanlon et al.,54 1995	RCT including participants recruited from 2 work sites in Glasgow	12 months	Health risk assessment and lifestyle counseling 5 intervention groups: Group 1 received health education without feedback on cholesterol or risk score. Group 2 received health education with feedback on cholesterol but without feedback on risk score. Group 3 received health education with feedback on risk score but not on cholesterol. Group 4 received a full health check: health education with feedback on cholesterol and risk score. Group 5 acted as an internal control group, intervention was delayed, but was administered after 5 months instead of the end of the study to promote participation.	Delayed health education package Participants from the control site were recruited as the external control group for the study. Their intervention was delayed but was administered after 5 months instead of the end of the study to promote participation.
Kemmler et al.,56 2010	RCT including women 65 years or older living independently in Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany	18 months	Physical activity The weekly exercise program consisted of 2 60-minute supervised group classes and 2 20-minute home training sessions. Group classes were structured into 4 sequences.	Wellness program Activities: coordination, relaxation, walking, dances, games, breath, balance, endurance, muscle strength, and flexibility
Kemmler et al.,44 2016.	Quasi-experimental study including post-menopausal women with osteopenia living in Erlangen- Nuremberg	192 months	Physical activity Two group classes of 60 to 65 minutes and 2 home training sessions of 20 to 25 minutes for up to 50 weeks a year, supervised by certified instructors. After a conditioning phase (6–9 months), the exercise intensity was adapted to performance.	Status quo Asked to maintain their present lifestyle and physical activity level.
Khanji et al.,66 2019	RCT including participants with a 10-year absolute CVD risk of ≥10%, recruited from primary care databases in London, UK	6 months	Health risk assessment and personalized e-coaching Electronic (e-)coaching, using personalized web-based lifestyle and risk factor counseling in addition to standard care	Usual care Personalized face-to-face counseling on cardiovascular risk factors during the baseline visit.
Kim et al.,42 2011	Quasi-experimental study including adults with type 2 DM and metabolic syndrome recruited at a university hospital in Korea	16 weeks	Diet and physical activity Reduced caloric intake (200 to 300 kcal) for weight control; individual counseling sessions, and 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week	Usual care Booklet and basic education on diabetes as part of routine care
Lakerveld et al.,64 2013	RCT including participants recruited from a diabetes research center in West-Friesland, the Netherlands	12 months	Motivational interviewing and problem-solving Six face-to-face. 30-minute counseling sessions followed by 3 monthly telephone sessions with practice nurses	Usual care Brochures containing health guidelines regarding PA and a healthy diet
Lazarevic et al.,43 2008	Quasi-experimental study including participants with obesity and diabetes, recruited from outpatient clinics in Serbia	6 months	Physical activity Aerobic exercise program consisting of 3–5 sessions of moderate aerobic exercise weekly with an average duration of 45–60 minutes and a workout intensity corresponding to 50–75% of maximal heart rate	N/A
Lukaczer et al.,58 2006	RCT including post-menopausal women recruited in Washington State, USA	3 months	Diet Dietary program combining a low glycemic index diet with food providing 30 g of soy protein and 4 g of phytosterols per day.	Standard dietary program American Heart Association Step 1 diet
Márquez-celedonio et al.,65 2009	RCT including participants recruited from primary health care clinics in Mexico	6 months	Diet and physical activity Lifestyle modification program including a low-sodium, DASH diet with energy content determined using the Harris-Benedict formula. Also 3–5 sessions of aerobic exercise complemented by group sport sessions (45 min per session). Smokers: 6 educational classes.	Handouts on diet and exercise Received education on the exercises they should undertake, and dietetic recommendation
Price et al.,40 2000	Quasi-experimental study including participants recruited from an inner-city general practice in Stoke-on-Trent, North Staffordshire, UK	24 months	Diet A session with a nurse focusing on baseline diet with the aim of reducing the fat content by substituting saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats. A supplementary diet sheet, devised by the Family Heart Association, was also provided.	N/A
Richardson et al.,50 2008	Quasi-experimental study including participants recruited from Wales general practitioner clinics	12 months	Health risk assessment and lifestyle counseling Baseline assessment of CVD risk and referral to a general practitioner, dietician, an exercise referral scheme, or to local smoking cessation services.	N/A
Riddell et al.,63 2016	RCT including participants recruited from Australia’s National Diabetes Services Scheme Registry	12 months	Health education and peer support A diabetes education session at baseline. Monthly community-based group meetings led by trained peer supporters and active encouragement to use primary care, community resources, and supports related to diabetes.	Usual care A diabetes education session at baseline. Feedback on clinical measures collected as part of assessments
Ródenas et al.,45 2005	Quasi-experimental study including post-menopausal nuns recruited from a convent in Spain	28 days	Diet The culinary oil used for years in the convent (a blend of sunflower and olive oils) were substituted for extra virgin olive oil for 28 days	N/A
Sartorio et al.,46 2001	Quasi-experimental study including participants with obesity recruited from an inpatient setting in Italy	3 weeks	Diet, physical activity, and psychological counseling 5 days of moderate physical activity per week, energy-restricted diet (1200 ± 1800 kcal/day), 2–3 sessions of psychological counseling per week, and daily educational lectures	N/A
Siren et al.,51 2016	Quasi-experimental study including male participants recruited from Helsinki, Finland	60 months	Health risk assessment and lifestyle counseling Trained nurses reviewed participants’ lifestyle and evaluated their absolute CVD risk score. Those at risk received counseling based upon their individual risk profile as recommended by the Finnish guidelines for preventing CVD.	N/A
Tuthill et al.,62 2007	RCT including participants with obesity recruited from outpatient clinics in Dublin, Ireland	6 months	Diet and physical activity Monthly evening group sessions focusing on dietary advice from a dietician and exercise advise from a physiotherapist	No information on the control condition is provided
Widmer et al.,41 2014	Quasi-experimental study with participants from employer-sponsored health program in Tennessee, USA	3 months	Health risk assessment and lifestyle counseling Participants were assessed for CVD risk factors and referral was made for those who did not meet all healthy benchmarks (body mass index, blood pressure, glucose, total cholesterol).	N/A

CR, cimicifuga racemosa; CVD, cardiovascular disease; DB, diabetes mellitus; PA, physical activity; RCT, randomized controlled trial