Digital Health Tools Show Promise in Managing Prediabetes in Low-Resource Settings

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from Monash University Malaysia conducted a two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effects of a digital health-supported and community pharmacy-based lifestyle intervention program, known as PRIME, on individuals with prediabetes in Malaysia. The study found that participants in the intervention group were twice as likely to report a minimum 5% weight loss compared to the usual care group, with a mean difference of 1.26 kg between groups.

Key Takeaways:

  • The PRIME program, which combines digital health tools with in-depth counseling from pharmacists and peer support, showed significant weight loss in participants with prediabetes, with a mean difference of 1.26 kg between groups.
  • The intervention group participants were twice as likely to report a minimum 5% weight loss compared to the usual care group, with an odds ratio of 2.5 (p = 0.266).
  • The study found that participants who were more engaged with the PRIME program showed greater weight loss, indicating the program's potential for improving risk factors among individuals with prediabetes.
  • The research concludes that further studies are needed to determine the economic and long-term sustainability of such programs.
  • The findings suggest that digital health tools can be a valuable addition to community pharmacy-based interventions for managing prediabetes in low-resource settings.

Statistics:

  • 91 participants were recruited for the study (intervention n = 46, usual care n = 45).
  • 21% of participants in the intervention group reported a minimum 5% weight loss, compared to 7.5% in the usual care group.
  • The mean difference in weight loss between groups was 1.26 kg (95% CI -2.36 kg to -0.15 kg).
  • The study was conducted in 16 community pharmacies from two states in Malaysia between 2025 (start date not specified).

Sources:

  • A digital health-supported community pharmacy-based lifestyle intervention program for overweight or obese adults with prediabetes, the PRediabetes Intervention, Management and Evaluation (PRIME) Program: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 2025.
  • NewsRx. Studies from Monash University Malaysia Have Provided New Information about Obesity [A digital health-supported community pharmacy-based lifestyle intervention program for overweight or obese adults with prediabetes, the PRediabetes ...]. Obesity & Diabetes Week. October 20, 2025; p 153.