Key result
Family dyad-focused interventions lower A1C by ~0.39% vs control groups.
Why the study?
Studies comparing family dyad interventions to non-dyadic interventions have reported mixed results regarding glycemic control outcomes measured by A1C in people with type 2 diabetes.
Does family dyad-focused support improve glycemic control (A1C) in people with Type 2 diabetes?
Meta-Analysis
Does family dyad-focused support improve glycemic control (A1C) in people with Type 2 diabetes?
Mean Difference: -0.39 (95% CI -0.56–-0.21)
p-value: p=<0.001
Family dyad-focused diabetes interventions significantly improve both short- and long-term glycemic control (A1C) in patients with Type 2 diabetes compared to non-dyadic interventions.
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Supports integrating family dyad interventions into Type 2 diabetes care; confirms short- and long-term A1C benefits in RCT meta-analysis.
Introduction and Objective: Family dyad-focused support plays an important role in health outcomes and has been incorporated in diabetes interventions to enhance diabetes self-management. However, mixed results were reported in glycemic control outcomes measured by A1C in these studies when comparing the family dyad intervention to a non-dyadic intervention. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to examine the pooled efficacy of dyad-focused diabetes interventions on A1C for people with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: The PRISMA 2020 was used to guide the study. A thorough search of four databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus) was performed from inception through 12/18/2025 to identify randomized RCTs that tested A1C of family-based diabetes interventions for people with T2D. Controlled vocabulary and key terms in the search included “Diabetes, Mellitus, Type 2,” “type 2 diabetes,” “self-management,” “self-care,” “spouses,” “dyad,” “caregiver,” and “partner support”. Studies were excluded if they were not RCTs, contained peer-support dyads, lacked family/friend dyads, or didn’t measure glycemic control. Results: Thirteen eligible RCTs were included in this meta-analysis. Short-term efficacy (3-6 months) was reported in 12 studies with a total of 635 dyads; long-term efficacy (9-12+ months) was reported in 7 studies with a total of 532 dyads. Compared to the control groups, dyad-focused interventions showed a statistically significant reduction in A1C in both short-term (-0.39; 95% CI -0.56, -0.21) and long-term (-0.38; 95% CI -0.66, -0.10) measurement points (p<0.001). The meta-analysis showed low to no statistically detectable heterogeneity (I² = 0-35%). Funnel plot suggests no obvious evidence of publication bias. Conclusion: Meta-analysis confirmed the efficacy of family dyad-focused diabetes interventions on glycemic control. Future large RCTs are warranted to test the efficacy of family dyad-focused interventions and explore innovative strategies to better incorporate family/friend dyad support in diabetes self-management.
ZHANG et al. (2026) conducted a meta-analysis in Type 2 diabetes (T2D). Family dyad-focused diabetes interventions vs. Control groups was evaluated on Reduction in A1C (short-term) (MD -0.39, 95% CI -0.56 to -0.21, p=<0.001). Family dyad-focused interventions significantly reduced A1C compared to control groups at short-term (-0.39; 95% CI -0.56 to -0.21) and long-term (-0.38; 95% CI -0.66 to -0.10) follow-up (P<0.001).
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