Leveraging the Positive Deviance Approach to Drive Behavior Change in Noncommunicable Diseases: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Health Promotion

Background:

• The positive deviance approach (PDA) is established for child malnutrition interventions.
• Limited research exists on PDA's application in noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention.
• PDA focuses on identifying and leveraging successful outlier behaviors for social and behavioral change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a scoping review of the application of the positive deviance (PD) approach to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
• To identify existing research, methodologies, and outcomes of PDA in NCD prevention and health promotion.
• To explore the potential of PDA strategies for NCD management and public health interventions.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review was performed.
• Searched PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and gray literature for primary research studies on PDA and NCDs.
• Included studies published in any language, country, and date, analyzing 26 articles from 2802 retrieved records.

Main Results:

• Most studies focused on physical activity, obesity, weight loss, and healthy eating.
• Many studies identified positive deviants and their strategies but did not implement all PD steps.
• Dissemination of PD strategies to non-deviant groups yielded positive outcomes, including significant weight loss and better blood pressure control.

Conclusions:

• Positive deviants with exceptional NCD-related behaviors exist in high-risk settings.
• PDA strategies can be effective when disseminated, leading to measurable health improvements.
• Researchers and practitioners can learn from successful PD strategies for NCD prevention and promotion.