Shortt 2007.
| Methods | Controlled before‐after study | |
| Participants | Elderly, low‐income families and the infirm, 54 households in the experimental group and 46 in the control group | |
| Interventions | Energy efficiency measures, including central heating systems | |
| Outcomes | Buildings: participants' opinions on whether their homes suffered from condensation, mould and damp Temperature change Participants: satisfaction rates with internal temperature Prevalence of angina, arthritis/rheumatism, chest infections, bronchitis, pneumonia/hypothermia, stress/mental illness |
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| Notes | — | |
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes | High risk | Not blinded |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes | High risk | Not blinded |
| Unplanned subgroup analyses (16) | Low risk | No unplanned subgroup analyses |
| Follow‐up (17) | Low risk | Follow‐up time of 1 year |
| Compliance (19) | Unclear risk | Compliance unclear |
| Valid outcome measures (20) | Unclear risk | Questionnaire on subjective symptoms |
| Selection bias (population) (21) | High risk | Older people were selected for the intervention group |
| Selection bias (time) (22) | Unclear risk | Interviews of the study group and control group were probably performed at the same time |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) | High risk | Not randomised |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) | High risk | Not concealed |
| Adjustment for confounding (25) | High risk | Not adjusted |
| Incomplete outcome data (26) (attrition bias) | Unclear risk | Not reported |