Table 4.

Cohort study quality.

	Research question clear?	Participant eligibility criteria clear? (without date and names)	Were participants representative of general population of interest?	Were all eligible participants enrolled?	Was sample size sufficient to provide confidence in the findings?	Was the intervention clearly described and delivered consistently?	Outcome measures clear, reliable and valid? Implemented consistently?	Blinded assessment of FMD?	Loss to follow-up after baseline <20%	Did the statistical method examine changes pre and post intervention?
Grace et al., 2015	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	NR	Y	Y
Klonizakis et al., 2014	Y	Y	Y	Y	CD	Y	Y	NR	Y	Y
Thijssen et al., 2007	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	NR	Y	Y

Study quality assessment of the cohort studies included in question 2 developed by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (Quality Assessment Tool for Before-After (Pre-Post) Studies With No Control Group, 2014). Y, yes; N, no; NR, not reported; CD, cannot determine.