Effectiveness of Community Health Worker Delivered Interventions on Non-communicable Disease Risk and Health Outcomes in India: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background and Aims: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 61% of deaths in India. This review focuses on Community Health Workers’ (CHW) effectiveness in preventing and managing NCDs in India which could help direct future research and government policy. Methods: A search of PubMed, Ovid, Embase and CINAHL using terms related to “community health workers” and “India” was used to find articles that quantitatively measured the effect of CHW delivered interventions on NCD risk and health outcomes. Results: CHW interventions are associated with improved health outcomes, metabolic parameters, and lifestyle risk factors in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and oral cancer. Current literature on CHW interventions for NCDs in India is limited in number of studies and the scope of NCDs covered. Conclusion: There is weak to moderate evidence that CHWs can improve NCD health outcomes in India.