Distal Technologies for Prediabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Preprint)
Authors: Cheong Mark Wing Loong , Chong Chun Wie , Gan Siew Hua , Ong Lin Kooi , Wang Leong Seng , Saw Pui San , Sandhu Anisha Kaur , Thor Teong Gee , Teoh Siew Li , Yap Wuan Shuen , Lee Shaun Wen Huey 
Published: March 2021

BACKGROUND

Prediabetes, where an individual’s glycaemic variables are significantly higher than normal but lower than the threshold for diabetes, is a major health problem. People with prediabetes experience a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease, neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, cardiac events, and stroke. The implementation of lifestyle-changing interventions or programs designed to monitor and adjust a prediabetic person’s lifestyle, daily activities, and diet has been demonstrated to substantially reduce the risk of developing diabetes.[4] Implementing these interventions, however, is not without its challenges. One way to overcome these challenges would be the use of distal technologies such as telehealth, mobile health, game‐based support, social platforms, patient portals, as well as wearable devices. To the best of our knowledge, no reviews have attempted to summarise the published research related to the use of distal technologies for the prevention of diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this systematic review is to critically appraise studies where distal technologies have been applied in a prediabetic population. The systematic review also aimed to synthesize the evidence to determine the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions utilizing distal technologies in people with prediabetes.

METHODS

The systematic review was conducted on articles from database inception till 31st December 2020 within the PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and The Cochrane Library databases. The databases were searched for published articles describing the use of distal technologies in prediabetes. The search terms related to digital health and prediabetes were used. The reference lists of included articles were also reviewed to identify any relevant articles that may have been missed. This study was registered with PROSPERO: CRD42020188051. Articles which met the following inclusion criteria were included: 1) the study included prediabetic individuals, 2) was a randomised controlled trial, 3) the intervention included the use of any distal technology, and 4) published in peer-reviewed journals.

RESULTS

The initial search identified a total of 364 articles. After the removal of duplicates and ineligible articles, 29 articles were selected for inclusion in this review. Meta-analysis of 15 of the studies showed that distal technologies was effective in reducing participants’ body weight by 1.24 kg [95% CI: -1.92, -0.56], their BMIs (MD: -0.64; -0.93 to -0.35) and waist circumference (MD: -1.27; -2.22 to -0.32), when compared to usual care/control. HbA1c levels were lowered marginally by 0.05% (95% CI: -0.09% to -0.02%) in the intervention group compared to the control group. However, distal technologies had limited impact on FPG (-0.11 mmol/l; -0.25 to 0.02), total cholesterol (-0.06 mmol/l; 95% CI: -0.14 to 0.03), low density lipoprotein (-0.04; -0.09 to 0.02), high density lipoprotein (0.03; -0.01 to 0.07) and triglyceride levels (-0.05; -0.13 to 0.02) compared to control group.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence reviewed suggests that lifestyle interventions incorporating distal technologies can be effective in helping prediabetics reduce their body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and blood glucose. The effectiveness of these interventions in improving lipid profile, blood pressure, and quality of life remains unclear. While the results are encouraging, more work is required to improve the evaluation and implementation of these complex interventions.