Pasifika Prediabetes Youth Empowerment Programme: learnings from a youth-led community-based intervention study

Using a co-design approach, we describe exploratory findings of a community-based intervention to mobilise Pasifika communities into action, with the intent of reducing the risk factors of prediabetes.

A group of 25 Pasifika youth aged 15-24 years from two distinctive Pasifika communities in New Zealand were trained to lead a small-scale, community-based intervention programme (among 29 participants) over the course of eight weeks. The intervention, which targeted adults aged 25-44 years who were overweight or obese, employed both an empowerment-based programme and a co-design approach to motivate community members to participate in a physical-activity-based intervention programme.

Findings show significant reductions in total body weight and waist circumference, as well as improved physical activity.

The strength of this intervention was evident in the innovative approach of utilising Pasifika-youth-led and co-designed approaches to motivate communities into healthier lifestyles. The approaches used in this project could be utilised in a primary healthcare setting as a community-wide strategy to reduce diabetes risk, particularly among Pasifika peoples.