Statistical methods
RA
RECRUITMENT
Descriptive statistics (absolute number and percentage of participants) were used to present the length of recruitment, recruitment rate, retention rate, adherence rate, and completion rate of all the measurements. The recruitment rate of 50% and the adherence rate of 60% indicated an acceptable level, and the proportion of missing data for each variable was suggested to be less than 5% [For the acceptability outcomes, the semi-structured interviews were digitally audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. NVivo 12 software was used to manage the data and help identify common codes from the transcripts. Content analysis was employed inductively to synthesise the categories and themes. Two researchers (the first author and RA) worked independently on the coding and on identifying codes by following the guideline of content analysis [For the analysis of the preliminary effects data, the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle was followed in the data analyses. Descriptive statistics were used to present the demographic data and the feasibility outcomes. Normality assumptions were checked for variables. The homogeneity of the two groups was examined by comparing the demographic and baseline outcomes using an independent t-test or the Mann-Whiteney U test for continuous data at baseline, and the Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test for dichotomous data. The missing variables were caused by dropouts, which were checked by using missing completely at random (MCAR) method. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) was employed to estimate the time and group effects on the clinical outcomes measured pre- and post-intervention. Two heterogeneous variables, i.e., level of education and body height, were adjusted during the statistical analysis. Considering the covariate effects, all of the GEE analyses were adjusted for three covariates (the variables related to height, level of education, and physical activity level) by considering the significant heterogeneity between the groups. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.