2.5. Data Analysis
Data were analysed using STATA (version 17). Continuous data are reported as means +/− SD and categorical data are reported using frequencies and percentages. Baseline comparisons between the control group and the intervention group were analysed using two sample t-tests or chi-squared tests for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. A Fisher’s exact test was used if there were small samples (i.e., frequencies less than 5). To compare the groups in this study, statistical analyses were performed with linear mixed models. Linear mixed models were used because in all methods, an adjustment should be made for the dependency of the repeated observations within the individual (i.e., at baseline and at follow-up). The effect size was calculated using Cohen’s d, which is the follow-up mean minus the baseline mean, divided by the pooled standard deviation. In all instances, a 