Moreover, a paragraph outlining the distinction between CM and CT was given at the start of the questionnaire and was read to the students at the start of each interview.
Informed consent was requested at the start of the questionnaire.
Participants who gave consent were directed to the start of the questionnaire.
Participants were assured of their privacy and confidentiality of their responses in the invitation letter and at the start of the questionnaire.
The average age (range) of the subjects at the start of the questionnaire survey in May 2001 was 48.1 years (45.1 to 51.3).
All employees and managers participating in the baseline measurement are requested to sign an informed consent at the start of the questionnaire.
In the invitation letter and at the start of the questionnaire, participants were assured of their privacy, the confidentiality and security of responses, and informed that they could withdraw their participation at any time.
It is possible, however, that having the more abstract set of questions at the start of the questionnaire, exploring perceptions of team climate, may have negatively impacted upon the response rate, lacking face validity and, again, salience to the health professionals.
Measures were delivered in two postal questionnaire surveys, with the interventions incorporated at the start of the second questionnaire booklet (Additional file 1).
For physical activity and alcohol intake, we used the cumulative average from all available questionnaires up to the start of each two year follow-up.
