Dimension | Specific criteria | Ackers et al. [31] | Joshi et al. [27] | Gebretekle et al. [28] | Hall et al. [24] | Hearn et al. [29] | Gentilotti et al. [32] | Lester et al. [30] | Nauriyal et al. [25] | Alabi et al. [33] | Nelson et al. [26] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Study type | Qualitative | ITS | N-CITS | Qualitative | CBA | CBA | NCBA (Quasi experimental) | CBA | NCBA | RCT | |
Clear aims and justification | Clear statement of the aims of the area of research | YES1 | YES | Yes | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES | YES |
Rationale for number of pre- and post-intervention points or adequate baseline measurement | Â | 2 | Yes | Â | Â | Â | YES | Â | NO | Â | |
Explanation for lack of control group | Â | Â | 2 | Â | Â | Â | 2 | Â | 1 | Â | |
Appropriateness of qualitative methodology | 2 | Â | Â | 2 | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | |
Appropriate study design | YES | Â | Â | YES | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | |
Managing bias in sampling or between groups | Sequence generation | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | YES |
Allocation concealment | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | YES | |
Justification for sample choice | Â | Â | Yes | Â | Â | Â | YES | Â | YES | Â | |
Intervention and control group selection designed to protect against systematic difference/detection bias | Â | Â | Â | Â | YES | YES | Â | YES | Â | Â | |
Comparability of groups | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | |
Sampling and recruitment | Yes (convenience sampling) | Â | Â | YES (convenience sampling) | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | |
Managing bias in outcome measurements and blinding | Blinding | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | YES |
Baseline management—protection against selection bias |  |  |  |  | YES | YES |  | YES |  |  | |
Protection against contamination | Â | Â | Â | Â | YES | YES | Â | YES | Â | Â | |
Protection against secular changes | Â | YES (post intervention survey was during another season) | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | |
Protection against detection bias: Blinded assessment of primary outcomes | Â | 2 | 2 | Â | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
Reliable outcome measures | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Comparability of outcomes | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | |
Managing bias in follow-up | Follow-up of subjects (protection against exclusion bias) | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | 2 |
Follow-up of patients or episodes of care | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | 2 | |
Incomplete outcome data addressed | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Â | 2 | |
Managing bias in other study aspects | Protection against detection bias: Intervention unlikely to affect data collection | Â | 2 | 2 | Â | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Â | 2 |
Protection against information bias | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | |
Data collection appropriate to address research aims | 1 | Â | Â | 2 | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | |
Attempts to mitigate effects of no control | Â | Â | YES | Â | Â | Â | YES | Â | Â | Â | |
Analytical rigour | Sufficient data points to enable reliable statistical inference | Â | YES | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Shaping of intervention effect specified | Â | 2 | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | |
Analysis of sufficiently rigorous/free from bias | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Managing bias in reporting/ethical considerations | Free of selective outcome reporting | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Limitations addressed | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Conclusions clear and justified | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Free of other bias | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Ethics issues addressed | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
Total score | Â | 11 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 24 |