title: A checklist to improve reporting of group-based behaviour-change interventions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Published descriptions of group-based behaviour-change interventions (GB-BCIs) often omit design and delivery features specific to the group setting. This impedes the ability to compare behaviour-change interventions, synthesise evidence on their effectiveness and replicate effective interventions. The aim of this study was to develop a checklist of elements that should be described to ensure adequate reporting of GB-BCIs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A range of characteristics needed to replicate GB-BCIs were extracted from the literature and precisely defined. An abbreviated checklist and a coder manual were developed, pilot tested and refined. The final checklist and coder manual were used to identify the presence or absence of specified reporting elements in 30 published descriptions of GB-BCIs by two independent coders. Reliability of coding was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The checklist comprises 26 essential reporting elements, covering intervention design, intervention content, participant characteristics, and facilitator characteristics. Inter-rater reliability for identification of reporting elements was high (95% agreement, Mean AC1 = 0.89).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The checklist is a practical tool that can be used, alongside other reporting guidelines, to ensure comprehensive description and to assess reporting quality of GB-BCIs. It can also be helpful for designing group-based health interventions.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Applied to Health group, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK. a.borek@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Aleksandra J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Borek
authors.affiliation: Psychology Applied to Health group, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK. c.abraham@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: Psychology Applied to Health group, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK. jane.smith@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jane R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Psychology Applied to Health group, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK. c.j.greaves@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Colin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Greaves
authors.affiliation: Psychology Applied to Health group, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK. m.tarrant@exeter.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tarrant
mesh_terms: D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D057189:Checklist / Q000592:standards*; D006127:Group Structure; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*