The effects of diabetes self-management interventions on physiological outcomes in people living with diabetes in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: To examine the effects of diabetes self-management interventions on physiological outcomes among people living with diabetes in Africa compared with patients receiving usual care. Methods: Relevant databases including PubMed, CINAHL Complete, Scopus, the Cochrane Library and Google Scholar were searched from inception to 28 September 2019, for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) involving adults living with diabetes in Africa. Nine RCTs were included in the review, and the quality of the studies was assessed using Cochrane's collaboration risk of bias tools. Results: A meta-analysis of the outcomes showed the significant effects of diabetes self-management interventions on blood pressure, total cholesterol and body mass index, whereas non-significant and inconclusive results were obtained for waist circumference and glycosylated haemoglobin, respectively. Conclusions: The diabetes self-management interventions (DSM) effectively improved many physiological outcomes, but their effectiveness in HbA_1c was inconclusive, suggesting a need for modifications in DSM interventions for African people living with diabetes.