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. 2019 Jul 23;2019(7):CD001871. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001871.pub4

Mauriello 2010.

Study characteristics
Methods Study design: cluster‐RCT
Intervention period: 2 months
Follow‐up period (post‐intervention): 10 months
Differences in baseline characteristics: reported
Reliable outcomes: NR
Protection against contamination: NR
Unit of allocation: schools
Unit of analysis: individual accounting for clustering
Participants N (control baseline) = 672
N (control follow‐up) = 457
N (intervention baseline) = 1128
N (intervention follow‐up) = 725
Setting (and number by study group): 8 high schools in 4 states in USA
Recruitment: school administrators invited students from various classes to participate. Some schools over‐recruited students due to the ease of incorporating the research into their schedules, making it easier to retain students in the research in subsequent semesters
Geographic region: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Tennessee, USA
Percentage of eligible population enrolled: 97% participants
Mean age: NR: (14‐17 years)
Sex: intervention: 51.9% female; control: 50.8% female
Interventions To report on effectiveness trial outcomes of Health in Motion, a computer‐tailored multiple behaviour intervention for adolescents.
Multi‐media intervention for PA, fruit and vegetable consumption, and limited TV viewing. Interactive technology to provide individually tailored messages to high school students. Health in Motion addresses recommended guidelines for 3 target energy‐balance behaviours related to obesity risk:
  • PA (at least 60 min on at least 5 days per week)

  • fruit and vegetable consumption (at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day)

  • limited TV viewing (2 hours or less of TV each day).


Individualised tailoring is based on the theoretical constructs (stage of change, decisional balance, self‐efficacy, and processes of change) of the TTM of Behavior Change.
The treatment group received 3 intervention sessions (baseline, 1 month, and 2 months), in addition to 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up assessments. The control group completed assessments at baseline, 2, 6, and 12 months. All sessions were administered via computers in school computer laboratories.
Control: no treatment
Diet and PA intervention vs control (health education)
Outcomes Outcome measures
  • Primary outcome, PA, fruit and vegetable consumption, TV viewing

  • Secondary outcomes: movement to action or maintenance stages (A/M) among those in a pre‐action stage at baseline for each behaviour: PA, fruit and vegetable consumption, TV viewing, risk reduction, co‐variation of behaviour change, stability in action and maintenance stages, weight status, movement to overweight using BMI (self‐report)


Process evaluation: reported (dose)
Implementation‐related factors Theoretical basis: TTM of Behaviour Change
Resources for intervention implementation: reported
Who delivered the intervention: reported
PROGRESS categories assessed at baseline: gender, race/ethnicity
PROGRESS categories analysed at outcome: NR
Outcomes relating to harms/unintended effects: NR
Intervention included strategies to address diversity or disadvantage: NR
Economic evaluation: NR
Notes Funding: funding for this research was provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Grant # R43 HL074482).
Most treatment participants (90.2%) received at least 3 intervention sessions. Due to a programming error discovered in the 1st week of the trial, some treatment group participants (21.5%) received an extra dose of the intervention. Overall, the average number of intervention sessions was 3.09.
Risk of bias
Bias Authors' judgement Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias) Unclear risk Schools were stratified based on race/ethnicity, geographic location, and percentage of students receiving reduced priced lunches and then randomly assigned
Allocation concealment (selection bias) Unclear risk NR
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
All outcomes High risk Quote: "Research assistants who were not blind to the group assignment"
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes High risk 34%‐36% attrition; multiple imputation for missing data done and complete datasets analysed
Selective reporting (reporting bias) Low risk Trial registration found. All outcomes listed in the trial registration document were reported in results.
Other bias Low risk No additional threats to validity
Other bias‐ timing of recruitment of clusters Low risk No CONSORT figure; text indicates recruitment happened prior to randomisation