Lifestyle Africa
Lifestyle Africa is an adapted version of the Diabetes Prevention Program suitable for low- and middle-income country contexts. The program was evaluated in a randomized trial in South Africa funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health in the United States. The program was found to be feasible and to have a significant effect on participants’ HbA1c as well as some indicators of psychological well-being and quality of life when compared to usual care.
Program Overview
Lifestyle Africa is a diet and physical activity program adapted from the US National Diabetes Prevention Program to make it more suitable for low- and middle-income country contexts. It is designed for delivery by community health workers or lay facilitators and utilizes video-guided sessions. Video sessions are used to deliver content that would normally need to be delivered by a health professional with expertise in lifestyle modification. Program sessions have also been simplified to decrease the level of health literacy and numeracy needed to participate in the program. The program includes a training curriculum and training materials for training lay facilitators to deliver the program. Other than a mini or regular projector the equipment required is basic (e.g., paper, pens, markers). The version currently available was developed for delivery in a Xhosa-speaking urban community in South Africa. The program reflects the target community’s culture, food, and lifestyle in South Africa. Although video sessions and materials were developed in Xhosa all materials and session video scripts are also available in English. More details of the program are provided here.
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