Table 3.
Methodological quality of included trials*
| Descriptive† | Statistical | Internal Validity | Total Validity | |||||||||||||||
| Study | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | ? | + |
| Binder, 2002 | + | + | + | + | - | + | + | + | + | + | ? | ? | + | - | + | + | 2 | 6 |
| Boshuizen, 2005 | + | + | - | + | - | + | + | + | ? | ? | ? | + | + | - | + | + | 3 | 5 |
| Chandler, 1998 | + | + | - | + | - | + | - | + | ? | + | ? | ? | + | + | + | + | 3 | 6 |
| Chin A Paw, 2001 | + | + | + | + | - | + | + | + | ? | + | ? | + | - | - | + | + | 2 | 5 |
| Gill, 2002 | + | + | + | + | - | + | + | + | ? | + | ? | + | + | + | + | + | 2 | 7 |
| King, 2002 | + | + | + | + | - | + | + | + | ? | + | ? | - | + | - | + | + | 2 | 5 |
| Kretser, 2003 | + | + | - | + | - | + | + | ? | - | ? | ? | ? | ? | + | + | + | 5 | 3 |
| Payette, 2002 | + | + | - | + | - | + | + | + | ? | + | ? | - | + | + | + | + | 2 | 6 |
| Timonen, 2004 | + | + | - | + | + | + | - | + | ? | + | ? | + | ? | + | + | + | 3 | 6 |
| Worm, 2001 | + | - | - | + | - | + | - | + | - | ? | ? | + | ? | + | + | + | 3 | 5 |
* '+' criterion fulfilled; '-' criterion not fulfilled; and '?' data not provided or unclear.
† see table 2 for a detailed description of the items.