Statistical methods
SECONDARY
To ensure accurate results, we conducted tests to check the normality of data distribution using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilks tests. We used various methods, such as the independent sample t-test/Mann–Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test, to detect differences between groups at baseline. We used the paired sample t-test before and after the intervention to test within-group differences in primary and secondary outcomes. The mean of quantitative variables across study groups was compared using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). We employed the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), which accounts for baseline values and potential confounding factors, to detect differences in studied variables between groups during the trial. All statistical analyses were carried out using two-tailed tests, and p-values lower than 0.05 were deemed statistically significant. The Statistical Package for Social Science v19.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA) was used to perform all statistical analyses. It's worth noting that all analysis was done while investigators were blinded.