Community-based interventions for prevention of Type 2 diabetes in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Type 2 diabetes is an increasing burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Knowledge of effective prevention programs in LMICs is thus important. The aim of this review was to establish an overview of studies evaluating the effectiveness of community-based interventions for prevention of Type 2 diabetes in LMICs. A literature review with searches in the databases using MEDLINE in Ovid (Ovid MEDLINE® In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE(R) Daily, Ovid MEDLINE and Version (R); Embase; PsycINFO; Global Health; and Google Scholar) between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2015 was conducted. Only 10 studies that met our selection criteria were included; 3 were randomized controlled trials, 2 non-randomized controlled trials and 5 were pre-and post-intervention studies. About 9 of 10 studies reported significant reduction in both the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels as a result of the intervention. A majority of the studies included multicomponent interventions such as education and behavioral encompassing both individual and group work, and included health education, nutrition education, nutrition counseling, exercise and promoting physical activity, psychosocial approaches and lifestyle modification. The interventions were delivered by community health workers, volunteers, social workers, community nutritionists and community nurses. Comparisons between studies, however, was not possible due to substantial heterogeneity in study design. This review contributes to the current literature on community-based interventions for prevention of Type 2 diabetes in LMICs, acknowledging the community-based approach can be effective in prevention and control of Type 2 diabetes. Due to the heterogeneity across study designs, outcomes and in terms of variation and duration of interventions, only limited conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of interventions. More evidence from randomized controlled trials on culturally tailored, community-based interventions is needed to compare findings and test implementation in practice.