Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised control trials (RCTs) that tested single factor interventions to increase activity, where exercise behaviour was the dependent variable.
Specific interventions included in the review
The interventions differed extensively between the included studies. These included: telephone contact and decisional balance sheet; physician examination and personal exercise advice; team building exercise and relapse prevention training; risk factor meetings with no adherence technique; supervised walking sessions supported by social gatherings, telephone contact, self-monitoring and rewards; telephone contact, self-monitoring and instructions on relapse prevention and adherence; telephone contact and activity log, with self-monitoring and rewards; weekly exercise class with relapse prevention training, reinforcement and lottery. The interventions ranged in length of time from 1 hour to 2 years and from single educational sessions to regular contact, as well as taking place in home locations and special facilities.
Participants included in the review
Healthy, free-living adults, defined as people not receiving treatment for any illness and who were not in an institution. The participants in the included studies tended to be volunteers responding to advertisement, predominantly white, well-educated, 'white collar' workers in the age range 24 to 72 years (mean age 49 years).
Outcomes assessed in the review
The main outcome assessed in the primary studies was good adherence to prescribed exercise, ranging from exercising twice a week for 15 minutes to 7 miles of walking per week or 100% of prescribed sessions. Several studies specified VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake).
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
Two reviewers selected the papers for review.