Preventive Medicine

Feasible low-resource lifestyle program raised VO2max and improved body composition at 6 months

In a single-arm intervention of 100 adults (per-protocol n=85), a clinic-delivered lifestyle program increased VO2max and improved body composition at six months. Overall, 42.4% of participants achieved a ≥1 MET VO2max improvement, a change linked to lower mortality in prior literature. Older participants had smaller VO2max gains, suggesting age-tailored goals may be needed. This study demonstrates feasibility of integrating brief exercise, Mediterranean diet principles, and behavioral support into routine care. 1

Health Belief Model remains widely used to guide behavior interventions in Africa and Asia

This systematic review identified 77 studies (2010–2025) applying the Health Belief Model across African and Asian settings. About 65% of included studies were cross-sectional; only ~9% were randomized trials. Most studies applied all core HBM constructs to inform intervention design for vaccines, HIV, and noncommunicable disease prevention. HBM is useful for framing interventions, but limited trial evidence means causality of HBM-informed interventions is less certain. 2

Central monitoring kept missing data low in a large multicentre neonatal trial

In the SafeBoosC-III trial (1,601 infants, 70 sites), pre-specified central monitoring maintained overall missing data at 1.4%. Of 43,965 data points reviewed, 338 issues were flagged and 81 were corrected after follow-up. Combining visual review with statistical checks proved pragmatic for identifying discrepancies across sites. Central monitoring can complement or replace some on-site checks to protect data quality in multicentre trials. 3