A community health worker intervention to reduce cardiovascular disease and complications in the diabetic population of Mexico

In 2015, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for around 80% of deaths in Mexico. Between 2006 and 2016, the prevalence of diabetes increased by nearly 31%, and now affects 9.4% of the population. Individuals with diabetes are two to six times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) than non-diabetics, and together they account for around 250,000 deaths each year.

The award

The Tools and practices to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) and complications in the diabetic population of Mexico study sought to evaluate the impact of Meta Salud Diabetes (MSD), a behavioural intervention aiming to reduce clinical risk factors for developing CVD among diabetic populations. MSD is based on behavioural change theories working to increase understanding of the disease and empower patients to manage their condition.

The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the second GACD call for proposals focused on diabetes.

Key findings

As part of the project implementation, the team worked closely with regional healthcare centres in the Mexican state of Sonora. Following the 13-week period during which the MSD intervention was introduced to patient groups, the project team found that the intervention reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease and led to behavioural changes: study participants consumed fewer for sugary drinks and more vegetables.

A pilot in Arizona yielded similar results to the Sonora trial. Together, the results showed that the MSD intervention can be successfully deployed as a cost-effective strategy to reduce the risk of CVD, especially in low-resource environments and among patients with controlled type 2 diabetes.

Next steps

Based on the successful deployment of MSD, the research team secured additional funding from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Mexico’s CONACYT to continue piloting the MSD intervention in other areas in Mexico, the USA and Benin, including scale-up activities in the state of Sonora.

Download the full case study: A community health worker intervention to reduce cardiovascular disease and complications in the diabetic population of Mexico