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

AIM: 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. METHOD: 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. RESULTS: Findings show significant reductions in total body weight and waist circumference, as well as improved physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: 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.