TABLE 2—
Characteristics of 34 Studies in a Review of 6 Public Health Journals: 2002–2006
| Articles, No. (%) | |
| Journal | |
| American Journal of Public Health | 4 (11.8) |
| Preventive Medicine | 6 (17.6) |
| Health Psychology | 8 (23.5) |
| Obesity | 7 (20.6) |
| Addictive Behaviors | 7 (20.6) |
| AIDS and Behavior | 2 (5.9) |
| Year of publication | |
| 2002 | 5 (14.7) |
| 2003 | 6 (17.6) |
| 2004 | 6 (17.6) |
| 2005 | 5 (14.7) |
| 2006 | 12 (35.3) |
| No. of study conditionsa | |
| 2 | 23 (67.6) |
| 3 | 8 (23.5) |
| 4 | 3 (8.8) |
| No. of group treatment conditionsb | |
| 1 | 11 (32.3) |
| 2 | 17 (50.0) |
| 3 | 4 (11.8) |
| 4 | 2 (5.9) |
| Baseline sample size | |
| < 100 | 15 (44.1) |
| 100–199 | 9 (26.5) |
| 200–299 | 4 (11.8) |
| ≥ 300 | 6 (17.6) |
| Target population | |
| Adults or adolescents with mental health issues | 3 (8.8) |
| Overweight or obese children | 2 (5.9) |
| Overweight or obese adults | 9 (26.5) |
| Adults with cardiovascular risk factors other than weight | 3 (8.8) |
| Cancer patients | 2 (5.9) |
| College or university students | 2 (5.9) |
| HIV-positive adults | 3 (8.8) |
| Smokers or substance abusers | 7 (20.6) |
| Other | 3 (8.8) |
| Primary outcome variablesc | |
| Weight, BMI, body fat percentage, or dietary variables | 13 (38.2) |
| Physical activity/physical fitness variables | 5 (14.7) |
| Smoking or substance use variables | 7 (20.6) |
| Mental health variables | 6 (17.6) |
| Sexual behavior variables | 6 (17.6) |
| Treatment retention | 2 (5.9) |
| Medication adherence | 2 (5.9) |
| Other | 7 (20.6) |
Note. BMI = body mass index.
aStudy condition refers to the treatment to which a participant is randomly assigned (e.g., intervention or control).
aGroup treatment condition refers to the number of study conditions that involve treatments administered to participants in groups rather than to individuals.
cNumber of articles sums to more than 34 because several articles reported more than one primary outcome variable.