Table 4 Characteristics of included studies

Miller

(2012)

The United States of America

[16]

RCT

2-arm.

MB-EAT for Diabetes (MB-EAT-D) Mindfulness-based Intervention.

52 T2DM patients (38.5% male;

53.95 years; IG = 27/CG = 25).

Through local medical practices, the university’s newswire, radio, and internet advertisements, and community flyers.

Written informed consent.

Petrogianni (2013)

Greece

[30]

Pre-post study.

Multicomponent intervention diet and physical activity intervention.

108 hypercholesterolemic adults

(53.5% male;

48.7 years;

IG = 77/CG = 31).

NM.

Written informed consent.

Hebden

(2014)

Australia

[17]

RCT

2-arm.

mHealth technologies

for weight management in young adults.

51 university students and staff (19.6% male;

22.85 years;

IG = 26/CG = 25).

Advertisements posted around the university campus and published in staff and student newsletters.

NM.

Hietaranta-Luoma

(2014)

Finland

[31]

Pre-post study.

Genotype-based nutrition and health information intervention.

107 healthy adults (30.8% male;

47.0 years;

IG = 61/CG = 61).

NM.

NM.

Kattelman (2014)

The United States of America

[18]

RCT

2-arm.

Young Adults Eating and Active for Health

(YEAH) in a college setting.

1639 college students (33.0% male;

19.3 years; IG = 824/CG = 815).

Face-to-face methods, e.g., in-class and residential life housing meetings, and e-mails, letters, and flyers were posted on participating campuses.

Online informed consent.

Nour

(2015)

Australia

[19]

RCT

2-arm.

TXT2BFiT, a mobile phone-based healthy lifestyle.

250 young adults (35.6% male;

27.7 years).

Recruited from the Greater Sydney area in New South Wales, Australia.

NM.

Spees

(2016)

The United States of America

[32]

Pre-post study.

Growing Hope

Multifaceted intervention delivered within a garden setting.

22 cancer survivors (22.7% male;

59 years).

Study brochures were distributed at the cancer hospital, its associated oncology clinics, and its affiliated community-based cancer survivor outreach programme.

Obtained informed consent.

Thomson

(2016)

The United States of America

[33]

Pre-post study.

Delta Body and Soul III lifestyle intervention.

409 participants

(28.11%male;

47.15 years;

IG = 287/CG = 122).

Via mailed study invitation letters, followed by telephone contact.

Written informed consent.

Kendzor

(2017)

The United States of America

[34]

Pre-post study

Diet and physical activity intervention for homeless adults.

32 shelter residents (75.0% male; 48.38 years;

IG = 17/CG = 15).

Weekly orientation meetings, flyers, and word of mouth at the transitional homeless shelter.

Obtained before screening for eligibility from interested individuals.

Hedrick

(2017)

The United States of America

[20]

RCT

2-arm.

Talking Health.

292 participants

(19% male;

42 years;

IG = 149/CG = 143).

Active recruitment at health department, day care centres, festivals, and others.

Passive recruitments from targeted mailings, flyers, radio, and others.

Written informed consent.

Al Khatib (2018)

The United Kingdom

[21]

RCT

2-arm.

Sleep Lengthening and Metabolic health, Body composition, Energy balance and cardiovascular Risk (SLuMBER).

42 habitually short sleepers

(16% male;

24 years;

IG = 21/CG = 21).

Internal circular e-mails among university staff and students, as well as social media advertisements and recruitment posters that were publicly available.

Written informed consent.

Webel

(2018)

The United States of America

[22]

RCT

2-arm.

SystemCHANGE is an innovative self-management.

106 HIV + adults (65% male;

53 years;

IG = 51/CG = 50).

Via letters sent to an HIV research registry and flyers posted in HIV care organisations.

Written

informed consent.

Gudzune

(2020)

The United States of America

[35]

Pre-post study.

Peer outreach approach to reduce added sugar intake by promoting sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) reduction.

34 participants (20.6% male;

45.7 years).

17 residents/17 network members).

Mailing invitations to all residences and perform follow-ups with these mailings with door-knocking attempts.

NM.

Kaur

(2020)

India

[23]

RCT

2-arm.

SMART Eating website.

732 participants

(23.9% male;

52.7 years; IG = 366/CG = 366).

Purposely chosen.

Written and verbal consent after briefing.

West

(2020)

Australia

[36]

Pre-post

Study.

OzHarvest’s NEST Programme promoting food security and food literacy.

21 participants

(42.9% male;

age from 18 to 74 years;

no control group).

Recruit by organisations hosting.

Obtained informed consent.

Manios

(2020)

Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Hungary and Spain

[24]

RCT

2-arm.

Feel4Diabetes.

2756 patients at high risk developing T2DM

(33.6% male;

40.9 years;

IG = 1526/CG = 1230).

Based on a standardised, multi-stage sampling procedure.

Written informed consent.

Brittain

(2021)

New Zealand

[37]

Pre-post study.

Sugar Habit Hacker.

128 adults

(12.5% male;

40.46 years; no control group).

A combination of flyers and online advertisements (social media, university, and health promotion websites).

Obtained informed consent.

Islam

(2021)

Bangladesh

[25]

RCT

2-arm.

Text messaging intervention.

236 patients with T2DM

(45.8% male;

48.1 years; IG = 106/CG = 94).

From a tertiary hospital.

Written informed consent.

Rahul

(2021)

India

[26]

RCT

2-arm.

Primary care and public health nurses training.

132 participants (24.2% male;

62.7 years;

IG = 72/CG = 60)

Recruited through local public service commissions.

Obtained informed consent.

Redmond (2021)

The United States of America

[38]

Pre-post study.

Obesity Prevention and Evaluation of InterVention Effectiveness in NaTive North Americans (OPREVENT).

299 participants

(29.2% male;

44.5 years; IG = 182/CG = 117).

Recruited from each community.

Written informed consent.

Chow

(2021)

The United States of America

[27]

RCT

2-arm.

Individualised goalsetting on diet and physical activity.

41 cancer survivors

(51.2% male; 45.1 years median age; IG = 24/CG = 17).

From the designated comprehensive cancer centre.

Obtained informed consent.

Johnstone (2021)

The United Kingdom

[28]

RCT

2-arm.

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) intervention,

dietary changes via

prebiotic supplement.

64 healthy young adult female volunteers

(0% male;

20.02 years; IG = 23/CG = 23).

Via posters and online advertisements.

Written informed consent.

Mason

(2021)

The United States of America

[29]

RCT

2-arm.

SSB sales ban and Motivational Interviewing (MI).

214 participants.

(42.1% male of IG; 41.2 (11.0) years mean age of IG;

IG = 109/CG = 105).

From a pool of university employees (staff and faculty). who responded to an initial employee online survey on SSB consumption.

NM.

Goldstein (2021)

The United States of America

[39]

Pre-post study.

Dietary lapses.

32 adults with overweight/obesity (68.8% male;

54.5 years;

no control group).

Via advertisements in local newspapers, the research centre’s website, email newsletters through a hospital and by physician referrals.

Obtained informed consent.

Okube

(2022)

Kenya

[40]

Pre-post

study.

Lifestyle intervention targeting common behavioural risk factors metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

294 participants (38.0% male;

18–64 years old;

IG: 156/CG: 138).

Who visited the hospital as outpatients, as well as those who escorted clients as relatives or friends.

Obtained informed consent.