Table 7.
Multiple meta-regression analysis, predicting between-study variance in unidimensional outcomes using the level of similarity between active and sham control groups for a number of selected features in a combined sample of all large manual therapy trials.
| Descriptives | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ES | Mean (SD) similarity rating (number of sessions) | Mean (SD) similarity rating (environment) | Mean (SD) similarity rating (efficacy information) | Mean (SD) similarity rating (application mode) | Mean (SD) similarity rating (body areas addressed) | R 2 | k |
| −0.53 | 1.88 (0.5) | 1.47 (0.8) | 1.1 (1.3) | 0.34 (1.7) | 1.4 (0.8) | 0.169 | 77 |
| Homogeneity analysis | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q | Df | P | T 2 | I2 | |||
| Model | 15.94 | 5 | 0.007 | 0.009 | 68.6% | ||
| Residual | 78.24 | 71 | 0.26 | 0.006 | 9.3% | ||
| Total | 94.18 | 76 | 0.077 | ||||
| Regression coefficients | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | SE | −95% CI | +95% CI | Z | P | Beta | |
| Constant | −1.57 | 0.31 | −2.18 | −0.95 | −5.0 | 0.0000 | 0.0 |
| Similarity: number of sessions | 0.33 | 0.15 | 0.04 | 0.62 | 2.3 | 0.0239 | 0.24 |
| Similarity: environment | 0.28 | 0.1 | 0.09 | 0.47 | 2.92 | 0.0035 | 0.31 |
| Similarity: efficacy information | 0.09 | 0.08 | −0.07 | 0.25 | 1.13 | 0.26 | 0.12 |
| Similarity: application mode | −0.04 | 0.04 | −0.12 | 0.05 | −0.85 | 0.39 | −0.09 |
| Similarity: body areas | −0.03 | 0.05 | −0.14 | 0.07 | −0.63 | 0.53 | −0.31 |
| Method of moments random effects variance component | |||||||
| v = 0.33 | |||||||
Means and variance of the similarity ratings included in the model are provided, having a possible range of −2 (different for all studies) to 2 (similar across all studies).