The Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme: digital modes of delivery engage younger people

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on body weight in people at high risk of type 2 diabetes referred to the English NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme

“…Participants entering the NHS DPP in 2020-21 tended to be younger than those entering in preceding years, which we have previously shown when the programme is delivered digitally. 3 However, even after adjustment for this, body weights at entry recorded during the pandemic remained significantly greater than those recorded in the previous 3 years.…”

Public health digitalization in Europe

“…For example, a systematic review assessed the potential benefits of digital health interventions on cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes and risk factors and reported telemedicine, Web-based strategies, e-mail, mobile phones, mobile applications, text messaging and monitoring sensors-based interventions to reduce CVD events, hospitalizations and mortality and to lower BMI and weight, as compared with normal care 23 . Evidence on the impact of digital preventive interventions are accumulating for communicable and non-communicable diseases including, among others, diabetes and mental health 24–27 . With regard secondary prevention, as advances in genomics and its application to clinical routine are increasingly allowing to identify people at risk of developing diseases with genetic basis, as well as to predict response to treatment, the role of secondary prevention will become more and more central in the future.…”

The English national health service diabetes prevention programme (NHS DPP): A scoping review of existing evidence

“…Twenty-seven articles reported on programme uptake and rates of retention, of which 11 (40.7%) were publications. 19,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] The remaining articles comprised six presentations, [31][32][33][34][35][36] three abstracts, 31,37,38 three reports, 35,39,40 one CPD module, 41 a news article, 42 an information sheet 43 and a case study. 44 Most of these articles were a commentary in design, with the others including pre-post studies, 25 cohort studies (retrospective/prospective), 23,24 mixedmethods research, 19 case studies 41 and cross-sectional surveys.…”

“…28 The availability of a digital delivery appears to be reaching younger people and people of a working age. 26 Howarth 2020 reports on how uptake can vary across providers and participant groups with uptake highest in older women from least deprived areas. 24 Decisions to decline participation are high in people from deprived and BAME backgrounds.…”

“…Digital delivery has been reported to engage younger people at risk of type 2 diabetes. 26,29 Other adaptations to the NHS DPP are likely needed to further enhance engagement given that digital delivery reported 60-68% uptake with 79% retention at 3 months. 29 Sustained NHS DPP engagement is crucial to obtain the physiological, psychological and behavioural benefits from attending.…”