Physical activity interventions to prevent and manage type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: a systematic review

Objectives

To review evidence regarding the impact of physical activity interventions for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

Study design

We searched for published reports of physical activity interventions for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes in Indigenous adults (18 years or older). There were no exclusion criteria regarding study type or duration, frequency, length, or intensity of physical activity, except that short term interventions were excluded. We assessed the quality of each study using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools and the ethical and methodological quality of studies from an Indigenous Australian perspective with the Centre of Research Excellence in Aboriginal Chronic Disease Knowledge Translation and Exchange (CREATE) Critical Appraisal Tool.

Data sources

MEDLINE; Scopus, Embase (Elsevier); Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Sports Discus, PsycINFO (EBSCO); Informit Complete; ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and ProQuest Health and Medicine; each from their inception to 30 October 2022.

Results

The database searches identified 703 potentially relevant records; after removing duplicates and initial screening, the full text of 27 articles was assessed for eligibility. Nine studies met our inclusion criteria: two randomised controlled trials, five cohort studies, one quasi-experimental study, and one repeated cross-sectional study. Eight studies were rated as being of low or medium quality (median JBI score, 54%; interquartile range [IQR], 36–64%); seven studies were rated as being of low to medium ethical and methodological quality from the Indigenous perspective (median CREATE score, 50%; IQR, 36–64%). Six studies reported changes in glycated haemoglobin (HbA_1c) levels, of which two (both cohort studies) reported significantly lower mean HbA_1c levels after the intervention, but only one publication provided detailed results. No randomised controlled trials that investigated the effect of a combination of physical activity and dietary change for Indigenous Australians diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were identified. Differences in study design, outcome variables, and the small number of studies precluded meta-analysis.

Conclusions

Quality research into the impact of physical activity interventions on type 2 diabetes in Indigenous people is sparse. To improve research translation, studies that involve Indigenous community members at all levels of the research process are needed.

Registration

PROSPERO CRD42021247496 (prospective).