Table 3.
Quality assessment components and their rankings for clinical studies evaluated using the Effective Public Health Practice Project tool.
| Studies | Patient selection | Study design | Confounders | Blinding | Data collection methods | Withdraws/ dropouts | Overall |
| Al Helali et al 2020 [65] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Anderson et al 2020 [66] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Bao et al 2020 [67] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Cinar et al 2020 [68] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Clark et al 2020 [69] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Figlerowicz et al 2020 [70] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Grisolia et al 2020 [71] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Hahn et al 2020 [72] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Hartman et al 2020 [73] | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Weak |
| Im et al 2020 [74] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Jafari et al 2020 [75] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Jiang et al 2020 [76] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Karataş et al 2020 [77] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Kong et al 2020 [79] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Mira et al 2020 [80] | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Soleimani and Soleimani 2020 [82] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Xu et al 2020 [83] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Zhang et al 2020 [84] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Ahn et al 2020 [85] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Abdullah et al 2020 [86] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Bradfute et al 2020 [87] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Diorio et al 2020 [88] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Enzmann et al 2020 [89] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Erkurt et al 2020 [90] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Fung et al 2020 [56] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Gemici et al 2020 [91] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Hartman et al 2020 [63] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Ibrahim et al 2020 [92] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Bobek et al 2020 [93] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Jin et al 2020 [94] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Joyner et al 2020 [95] | Strong | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Joyner et al 2020 [96] | Strong | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Joyner et al 2020 [97] | Strong | Weak | Moderate | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Liu et al 2020 [98] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Maor et al 2020 [99] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Naeem et al 2020 [100] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Olivares-Gazca et al 2020 [101] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Pal et al 2020 [102] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Rahman et al 2020 [103] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Salazar et al 2020 [104] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Shen et al 2020 [105] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Tremblay et al 2020 [106] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Wang et al 2020 [108] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Wei et al 2020 [107] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Weak |
| Wu et al 2020 [109] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Xi et al 2020 [110] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Weak |
| Ye et al 2020 [111] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Zhang et al 2020 [112] | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Zeng et al 2020 [113] | Weak | Weak | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Abolghasemi et al 2020 [114] | Strong | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Strong | Strong | Moderate |
| Duan et al 2020 [115] | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Hegerova et al 2020 [116] | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Weak | Strong | Strong | Weak |
| Liu et al 2020 [117] | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Moderate |
| Perotti et al 2020 [118] | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Strong | Moderate | Moderate |
| Rasheed et al 2020 [119] | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Moderate |
| Roger et al 2020 [120] | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Strong | Strong | Moderate |
| Salazar et al 2020 [121] | Strong | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Strong | Strong | Moderate |
| Xia et al 2020 [122] | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Moderate |
| Xiao et al 2020 [123] | Weak | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Weak |
| Zeng et al 2020 [124] | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Weak | Moderate | Strong | Moderate |
| Gharbharan et al 2020 [125] | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Weak | Strong | Strong | Moderate |
| Li et al 2020 [126] | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Moderate | Strong | Strong | Strong |