Effect of diabetes self-management education on glycemic control in Latino adults with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Purpose This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of diabetes self-management education (DSME) in reducing glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) levels in adult Latinos with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods Five databases were searched for DSME randomized controlled trials or quasi-experimental trials published between January 1997 and March 2019. A random effects model was utilized to calculate combined effect sizes. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore possible sources of heterogeneity between studies. Results Twenty-three unique studies met criteria for this systematic review and of these, 18 were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled estimate effect of DSME on A1C from the random effect model was -0.240 (95% confidence interval = -0.345, -0.135, p  8.0 [69 mmol/mol], and team-based approach. Conclusions Meta-analysis results showed that culturally tailored DSME interventions significantly reduce AIC in Latinos with T2DM despite the heterogeneity across the studies. Implications The heterogeneity in the study methodologies reinforce the need for additional studies to better understand DSME interventions to reduce disparities in Latino adults with T2DM.