Background
Description of the intervention
How the intervention might work
Why it is important to do this review
Objectives
Methods
Population
Types of interventions
Types of outcome measures
Search methods for identification of studies
Data collection and analysis
Selection of studies
Data extraction and management
Assessment of risk of bias in included studies
Quality of the evidence
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High – Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect.
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Moderate – Further research is likely to have an important impace on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate.
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Low – Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate.
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Very low – Any estimate of effect is very uncertain.
Measures of treatment effect
Unit of analysis issues
Dealing with missing data
Assessment of heterogeneity
Data synthesis
Subgroup analysis and investigation of heterogeneity
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Clinical subgroups: classified as ‘persistent low back pain’ and ‘osteoarthritis’
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Frequency and duration of intervention (intensity) classified as ‘higher’ or ‘lower’ relative to the median number of contact hours across the studies
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BCTs
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Recruitment routes
Sensitivity analysis
Results
Results of the search
Excluded studies
Characteristics of included studies
Participants in included studies
Author/Year | Study Design | No of Participants | Gender | Age Range | Condition | Intervention | Control Condition | Recruitment Route | PA Outcome | Longest follow-up |
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Alaranta, 1994 [42] | Controlled Clinical Trial | 293 | F160 M133 | 40.4 (4.8) Control 40.5 (4.6) Intervention | PLBP | Home training programme + Inpatient rehabilitation with education | Inpatient rehabilitation 40–50% less strenuous | Finnish Social Security Insurance Institution | Subjective - Leisure time PA (strenuousness) | 12 months |
Allen, 2016 [43]; | Cluster RCT | 300 (patients) 30 (providers) | F28 M272 | 61.6 (9.2) | OA hip/knee | Patients - Physical activity and weight management counselling Healthcare providers received treatment recommendations | Usual care | Medical records veterans affairs | CHAMPS | 12 months (12 month intervention) |
Becker, 2008 [44]; | Cluster RCT | 1378 (chronic pain subgroup 332) | F801 M577 (entire group no figures for subgroup) | 49.1 (13.3) guideline group 47.4 (13.5) guideline + MC 50.2 (14.3) Control | LBP (mixed) | Practitioner education – guideline implementation Practitioner education – guideline implementation + MI | Guideline delivered via post | Primary Care GP’s | Freiburg Questionnaire | 12 months |
Bossen, 2013 [45]; | RCT | 199 | F129 M70 | 64 (6.6) All 61 (5.9) Intervention 63 (5.4) Control | OA hip/knee | Web based intervention to increase PA using behavioural graded activity | Waiting list | Volunteers from newspapers and websites | PASE and Subgroup ACTi graph | 12 months |
Brosseau, 2012; [46]; | RCT | 222 | 153F 69M | 63.9 (103) Walking 63.9 (8.2) Walking + Booklet 62.3 (6.8) Control | OA Knee | Walking group Walking and behavioural education | Self-directed received educational pamphlet | Unclear | 7 day Par (recall) | 18 months |
Farr, 2010;[47]; | RCT | 293 | F218 M75 | 55.5 (7.3) Resistance training 55.8 (6.1) Self-Management 54.2 (7.3) Combined | OA Knee | Resistance training + self-management | Self-management | General community mass mailings, media ads and local physicians | ACTi graph 7 days | 9 months |
Focht, 2014;[48]; | RCT (pilot) | 80 | F67 M13 | 63.5 (6.86) | OA Knee | Group mediated cognitive behavioural exercise intervention | Traditional centre based exercise | Direct referral State Medical Centre Rheumatologists, ads Arthritis Foundation groups | Accelerometer (PA Lifecorder plus) 7 days | 12 months |
Hiyama, 2012;[49]; | RCT | 40 | 32F 19M | 71.9 (5.2) Walking 73.8 (5.7) Control | OA Knee | Instructed to increase number of steps, physical therapy + programme of walking | Physical therapy + advice re walking | Unclear - community dwelling females | Pedometer (steps per day) | 4 weeks |
Hughes, 2006;[50] | RCT (block randomisation) | 215 | 363F 56M | 71.1 (59 -91 yrs) | OA hip/knee | Education, exercise and fitness walking | Arthritis self-help book and information on exercise programmes in community | Senior centres, newsletters, local media, presentations to senior groups | Total minutes exercised | 12 months |
Hunter, 2012;[51]; | RCT (feasibility) | 51 | 167F M79 | 43.2 (13.5) Exercise 42.4 (11.3) Exercise Auricular Acupuncture | PLBP | Exercise and acupuncture | Exercise | Primary Care GP’s, Physiotherapy waiting list and University population | IPAQ (ActivPal - steps per day) | 6 months |
Hurley, 2015:[52]: | RCT | 246 | 40F | 45.4 (11.4) | PLBP | Walking programme Exercise class | Usual physiotherapy | Physiotherapy departments | IPAQ | 12 months |
Krien, 2013;[53]; | RCT | 229 | 29F 200M | 51.2 (12.5) Walking 51.9 (12.8) Enhanced Usual Care | PLBP | Walking group | Enhanced usual care | Individuals referred for back class and medical record system | Pedometer (steps per day) | 12 months |
McDonough, 2013; [30]; | RCT (feasibility) | 56 | 31F 25M | 51 (42 – 60 yrs) Exercise 48 (43 – 55 yrs) Exercise Walking Programme | PLBP | Education and advice and walking group | Usual care | Physiotherapy waiting lists primary care | MGROC PA (ActivPal - steps per day) | 6 months |
Meng, 2011;[54]; | RCT | 360 | 231F 129M | 50.2 (7.6) Intervention 49.5 (7.7) Control | PLBP | Biopsychosocial back school programme (inpatient) | Traditional back school (setting unclear) | Orthopaedic hospital - patients had applied for inpatient rehabilitation | Freiburger Questionnaire | 12 months |
Pisters, 2010 [55] | RCT Cluster (analysis of secondary outcomes) | 200 | F154 M46 | 64.8 (7.9) | OA Hip or Knee | Behavioural graded activity and operant conditioning and exercise therapy | Usual physiotherapy (per clinical guidelines) | Physiotherapists and press releases in local newspapers | PA SQUASH - Converted using METs total hrs. Per week in health enhancing PA | 65 weeks (14.9 months) |
Schlenk, 2011;[56]; | RCT (feasibility) | 26 | F25 M1 | 63.2 (9.8) | OA Knee (overweight) | Counselling, exercise, fitness walking programme | Usual care | Rheumatology practices, arthritis disease network registry, self-referral | Diary - Minutes walked per week and other aerobic PA minutes | 12 months |
Sullivan, 1998;[57]; | RCT (follow-up) | 102 (52 in this follow-up) | F85 M17 (f44 m8) | 70.38 (9.11) Intervention 68.48 (11.32) Control | OA Knee | Supervised fitness walking and supportive education | Standard medical care, weekly interviews about function and daily activity | Community clinics, private clinics - rheumatology | Recall - Average distance walked per week | 12 months |
Talbot, 2003;[31]; | RCT | 34 | F26 M8 | 69.59 (6.74) Pedometer 70.76 (4.71) Education | OA Knee | Arthritis self-management programme + walking programme | Arthritis self-management programme | Senior Centres and ads in local papers | Pedometer (steps per day) + Accelerometer | 6 months |
Trudeau, 2015;[58]; | RCT | 228 (Subgroup 94) | F72 M156 | 49.9 (11.6) | Arthritis (all – subgroup data OA spine, large peripheral joints via author) | Web-based painAction programme, informative articles, self-check assessments etc. | Waiting list control | Flyers in surgeries, Pain association members, google adwords, ClinicalTrials.gov. PainEDU.org health professionals | Aerobic exercise minutes (all) | 6 months |
Williams, 2011 [32] | RCT (feasibility) | 119 | F76 M43 | 68.2 (8.1) Intervention 68.6 (8.5) control | OA Hip or Knee | ‘New’ Advice booklet – emphasis on addressing exercise related beliefs | Arthritis UK booklet | GP Practices | IPAQ | 3 months |
Interventions
Author, Year | Hiyama, 2012; | Hughes, 2006; | Alaranta, 1994; | Focht, 2014; | Pisters, 2010; | Farr, 2010; | Allen, 2016; | Meng, 2011; | Becker, 2008; | Sullivan, 1998; | Williams, 2011; | Brosseau, 2012; | Trudeau, 2015; | Hunter, 2012; | Bossen, 2013; | Schlenk, 2011; | McDonough, 2013; | Krien, 2013; | Hurley, 2015; | Talbot, 2003; |
Effect Size SMD 95% CI | 1.96 [1.19, 2.73] | 0.87 [0.58, 1.15] | 0.77 [0.53, 1.01] | 0.56 [0.07, 1.06] | 0.51 [0.21, 0.80] | 0.29 [−0.03, 0.61] | 0.28 [0.04, 0.53] | 0.25 [0.02, 0.48] | 0.17 [−0.07, 0.41] | 0.12 [−0.50, 0.74] | 0.11 [−0.31, 0.53] | 0.10 [−0.27, 0.48] | 0.07 [−0.35, 0.49] | 0.06 [−0.60, 0.72] | 0.02 [−0.50, 0.54] | −0.00 [−0.77, 0.77] | −0.00 [−0.74, 0.73] | −0.03 [−0.35, 0.30] | −0.29 [−0.59, 0.01] | −0.32 [−1.0, 0.35] |
ROB assessment | Lower | Higher | Higher | Lower | Lower | Higher | Lower | Lower | Higher | Higher | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Lower | Higher |
Mode of delivery
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Automated Web-based | x | x | x | |||||||||||||||||
Inpatient Programme | x | x | ||||||||||||||||||
Centre-based | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | |||||||||||
Home-based | + | + | x | x | x | x | x | |||||||||||||
Community-based | x | |||||||||||||||||||
Other | x | x | x | |||||||||||||||||
Session structure
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Individual | ? | + | + | x | x | x | x | x | + | x | x | x | x (WP) | x | ||||||
Group based | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x (EC) | x | ||||||||||
Type of PA
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Multicomponent Exercise Programme | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x (EC) | ||||||||||||
Walking | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x (WP) | x | ||||||||||
User Selected | x | x | x | x | x | |||||||||||||||
Other/Unclear | x | x | x | x | ||||||||||||||||
Provider
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Physiotherapist | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | + | x | |||||||||||
Nurse | x | x | x | |||||||||||||||||
Doctor | x | |||||||||||||||||||
Fitness Professional | x | x | x | |||||||||||||||||
Multidisciplinary | x | x | ||||||||||||||||||
Other | ? SM | ? | x | x | x | x | ||||||||||||||
Estimated Intervention Contact Time (hrs) | 3 | 36 | 111 | 36 | 11.5 | 134 | 6 | 50 | 1.5 | 24 | 0.5 | 200.5 | 4.3 | 8 | 1.166 | 7.5 | 3.5 | 8.6 | 8 | 12.15 |
No. of BCT’s coded | 3 | 12 | 3 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 5 |
Control groups
Outcome measures
Follow-up (post randomisation) (Table 1)
Risk of bias in included studies (Figs. 2 and 3)
Risk of bias in cluster randomised controlled trials
Effects of interventions: Meta-analysis
Quality assessment | № of patients | Effect | Quality | |||||||
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№ of studies | Study design | Risk of bias (a) | Inconsistency (b) | Indirectness (c) | Imprecision (d) | Other considerations (e) | Interventions | control | Absolute(95% CI) | |
Short-term Subjective Physical Activity | ||||||||||
9 | randomised trials | serious | serious | not serious | serious | none | 611 | 485 | SMD 0.24 SD higher (−0.07 lower to 0.55 higher) | ⨁◯◯◯VERY LOW |
Medium-Term Subjective Physical Activity (follow up: range 12 weeks to 6 months) | ||||||||||
9 | randomised trials | serious | serious | not serious | not serious | none | 757 | 552 | SMD 0.25 SD higher (0.01 higher to 0.48 higher) | ⨁⨁◯◯LOW |
Long-Term Subjective Physical Activity (follow up: >6 months) | ||||||||||
11 | randomised trials | serious | not serious | not serious | not serious | none | 1068 | 804 | SMD 0.21 SD higher(0.08 higher to 0.33 higher) | ⨁⨁⨁◯MODERATE |
Short-Term Objective Physical Activity | ||||||||||
7 | randomised trials | serious | serious | not serious | serious | none | 255 | 186 | SMD 0.31 SD higher(−0.11 lower to 0.74 higher) | ⨁◯◯◯VERY LOW |
Medium-Term Objective Physical Activity (follow up: range 12 weeks to 6 months) | ||||||||||
4 | randomised trials | not serious | not serious | not serious | very serious | none | 135 | 110 | SMD −0.02 SD lower(−0.40 lower to 0.36 higher) | ⨁⨁◯◯LOW |
Long-Term Objective Physical Activity (follow up: range 6+ months) | ||||||||||
4 | randomised trials | serious | not serious | not serious | serious | none | 251 | 184 | SMD 0.22 SD higher(−0.02 lower to 0.46 higher) | ⨁⨁◯◯LOW |