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title: "4.2.4.1 Population (types of participants)"
canonical: "https://jbi-global-wiki.refined.site/space/MANUAL/355828101/4.2.4.1%20Population%20(types%20of%20participants)"
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This section should specify the details about types of participants considered for the review, for example, age; gender; ethnicity; diagnosis; diagnostic criteria; stage or severity of the disease; co-existing diseases. What are the most important characteristics of the population?   (e.g., age, disease/condition, severity of illness, setting, gender, etc.) .  Consider the following example regarding COPD, describe the population ( patients with COPD ), the severity of illness ( moderate-to-severe ), trajectory of the disease ( stable ), with a specific setting ( community dwelling ). Diagnostic criteria should be made clear to allow inclusion and exclusion; if reviewers anticipate subgroup analysis related to population characteristics, these subgroups should be reflected in the population inclusion criteria. For example, ‘ COPD includes patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema but not asthma (fixed airway obstruction with forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV 1 ] less than <80% of predicted). According to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and the American Thoracic/European Respiratory Society Guidelines (ATS/ERS), the description of the severity of disease is as follows: stage II or moderate disease is an FEV 1  of 50-80% predicted; stage III or severe is an FEV 1  of 30-50% predicted and stage IV or very severe is an FEV 1  <30% predicted. Patients with reversible airway disease (improvement in FEV 1  >20% with fast acting bronchodilator) will be excluded because their response to training may relate more to changes in their airway obstruction than a training effect .’ Specific reference to population characteristics, either for inclusion or exclusion should be based on a clear, scientific justification rather than based on unsubstantiated clinical, theoretical or personal reasoning.