Effectiveness of behavioral change techniques employed in eHealth interventions designed to improve glycemic control in persons with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol

BACKGROUND: The incorporation of Behavioral Change Techniques (BCTs) in eHealth interventions for the management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), might be a promising approach to improve clinical and behavioral outcomes of NCDs in the long run. This 3paper reports a protocol for a systematic review that aims to (a) identify the effects of individual BCTs in eHealth interventions for lowering glycated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c) and (b) investigate which additional intervention features (duration of intervention, tailoring, theory-base, and mode of delivery) affect levels of HbA1c in this population. The protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guideline. METHODS/DESIGN: To identify eligible studies, an extensive systematic database search (PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO) using keywords will be conducted. This review will include randomized controlled trials examining the effects of eHealth interventions on HbA1c in persons with poorly controlled T2DM over a minimum follow-up period of 3 months. Relevant data will be extracted from the included studies using Microsoft Excel. The content of the interventions will be extracted from the description of interventions and will be classified according to the BCT taxonomy v1 tool. The quality of studies will be independently assessed by two reviewers using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. If the studies have adequate homogeneity, meta-analysis will be considered. The effect sizes of each BCT will be calculated using the random effect model. The quality of the synthesized evidence will be evaluated employing the Grading of the Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria. DISCUSSION: This systematic review is one of the firsts to appraise the effectiveness of eHealth interventions employing BCTs which aimed at improving glycemic control in persons with poorly controlled T2DM. The review will aggregate the effect sizes of BCTs on HbA1c levels. The results may inform future eHealth interventions targeting poorly controlled T2DM populations. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42016049940 ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13643-017-0609-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.