Table 5

Reporting quality of each CONSORT checklist item and subitem by funding status

ItemsCriteria and subitemsFunded by industry (n=46),
n (%)
Not funded by industry/unreported
(n=130), n (%)
Risk ratio
(95% CI)
1. TitleIdentification of the study as randomised24 (52.2)28 (21.5)0.41 (0.27 to 0.63)
2. AuthorsContact details for the corresponding author0 (0)0 (0)NE
3. Trial designDescription of the trial design (eg, parallel, crossover)22 (47.8)35 (26.9)0.56 (0.37 to 0.85)
4. ParticipantEligibility criteria for participants and the settings where the data were collected3 (6.5)13 (10.0)1.53 (0.46 to 5.14)
4a. Eligibility criteria for participants43 (93.5)127 (97.7)1.05 (0.96 to 1.13)
4b. Settings of data collection3 (6.5)13 (10.0)1.53 (0.46 to 5.14)
5. InterventionsInterventions intended for each group38 (82.6)92 (70.8)0.86 (0.72 to 1.02)
6. ObjectiveSpecific objective or hypothesis45 (97.8)125 (96.2)0.98 (0.93 to 1.04)
7. Outcome*Clearly defined primary outcome for this report12 (26.1)16 (12.3)0.47 (0.24 to 0.92)
8. RandomisationHow participants were allocated to interventions0 (0)0 (0)NE
8a. Random assignment46 (100)130 (100)NE
8b. Sequence generation0 (0)0 (0)NE
8 c. Allocation concealment0 (0)0 (0)NE
9. Blinding (masking)Whether or not participants, caregivers, and those assessing the outcomes were blinded8 (17.4)6 (4.6)0.27 (0.10 to 0.72)
9a. Generic description only (eg, single blind, double blind)25 (54.3)20 (15.4)0.28 (0.17 to 0.46)
10. Numbers randomisedNo of participants randomised to each group16 (34.8)63 (48.5)1.39 (0.90 to 2.15)
11. RecruitmentTrial status (eg, ongoing, closed to recruitment, closed to follow-up)11 (23.9)30 (23.1)0.97 (0.53 to 1.77)
12. Numbers analysedNo of participants analysed in each group6 (13.0)18 (13.8)1.06 (0.45 to 2.51)
12a. Intention-to-treat analysis or per-protocol analysis2 (4.3)10 (7.7)1.77 (0.40 to 7.78)
13. OutcomeFor the primary outcome, a result for each group and the estimated effect size and its precision0 (0)0 (0)NE
13a. Primary outcome result for each group4 (8.7)7 (5.4)0.62 (0.19 to 2.02)
13b. Estimated effect size1 (2.2)4 (3.1)1.42 (0.16 to 12.34)
13c. Precision of the estimate (eg, 95% CI)1 (2.2)2 (1.5)0.71 (0.07 to 7.62)
14. HarmsImportant adverse events or side effects15 (32.6)7 (5.4)0.17 (0.07 to 0.38)
15. ConclusionsGeneral interpretation of the results43 (93.5)129 (99.2)1.06 (0.98 to 1.15)
15a. Benefits and harms balanced8 (17.4)2 (1.5)0.09 (0.02 to 0.40)
16. Trial registrationRegistration no and name of trial register2 (4.3)4 (3.1)0.71 (0.13 to 3.74)
17. FundingSource of funding46 (100)116 (89.2)0.89 (0.84 to 0.95)
  • *Outcome reported in Methods section.

  • †Outcome reported in Results section.

  • CONSORT, Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials; NE, Not estimable due to zero cell counts.

  • Bold values are those indicating statistical significance.