SynthesisBMC health services research2013
Roles and effectiveness of lay community health workers in the prevention of mental, neurological and substance use disorders in low and middle income countries: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC health services research, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Empowering accredited social health activist (ASHA) workers to support community mental health in Karnataka State of India: A systematic review.The Indian journal of medical research · 2026Pooled it
- Psychometric Validation of a Combined Assessment for Anxiety and Depression in Primary Care in Mozambique (CAD-MZ).Assessment · 2022Pooled it
- Barriers and enablers in the implementation and sustainability of toothbrushing programs in early childhood settings and primary schools: a systematic review.BMC oral health · 2022Pooled it
- Psychosocial interventions for depression delivered by non-mental health specialists to people living with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.Journal of global health · 2022Pooled it
- Primary-level worker interventions for the care of people living with mental disorders and distress in low- and middle-income countries.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Assessment of Barriers and Facilitators to the Delivery of Care for Noncommunicable Diseases by Nonphysician Health Workers in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Analysis.JAMA network open · 2019Pooled it
- Community health volunteers could help improve access to and use of essential health services by communities in LMICs: an umbrella review.Health policy and planning · 2018Pooled it
- What do we know about community-based health worker programs? A systematic review of existing reviews on community health workers.Human resources for health · 2018Pooled it
- Standardising Training of Nurses in an Evidence-Based Psychosocial Intervention for Perinatal Depression: Randomized Trial of Electronic vs. Face-to-Face Training in China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Introducing post-discharge malaria chemoprevention (PMC) for management of severe anemia in Malawian children: a qualitative study of community health workers' perceptions and motivation.BMC health services research · 2018Trial
- Trained lay health workers reduce common mental disorder symptoms of adults with suicidal ideation in Zimbabwe: a cohort study.BMC public health · 2018Trial
- Effect of a Community Health Worker Intervention Among Latinos With Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes: The Miami Healthy Heart Initiative Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA internal medicine · 2017Trial
- Task shifting interpersonal counseling for depression: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial in primary care.BMC psychiatry · 2017Trial
- Trial
- Mobilising Community Resources for Mental Health: Community Facilitators' Insights from Estonian Counties.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2026Article
- Population-oriented health promotion and disease prevention interventions in primary healthcare: a scoping review of reviews.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Developing and testing preliminary effectiveness and acceptability of a mental health application in Ethiopia.Discover mental health · 2025Article
- Competency-based education and training for Community Health Workers: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Implementation of a school-based risk management protocol within a task-shifted mental healthcare model.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2025Article
- Impact of treatment attendance on mental health outcomes within task-shared psychological treatments: a causal analysis from the PRIME India study.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2025Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIt has been suggested that lay community health workers (LHWs) could play a role in primary and secondary prevention of Mental, Neurological and Substance use (MNS) disorders in low resourced settings. We conducted a systematic review of the literature with the aim of assessing the existing evidence base for the roles and effectiveness of LHWs in primary and secondary prevention of MNS disorders in low and middle income countries (LMICs).
methodsInternet searches of relevant electronic databases for articles published in English were done in August 2011 and repeated in June 2013. Abstracts and full text articles were screened according to predefined criteria. Authors were asked for additional information where necessary.
resultsA total of 15 studies, 11 of which were randomised, met our inclusion criteria. Studies were heterogeneous with respect to interventions, outcomes and LHWs' roles. Reduction in symptoms of depression and improved child mental development were the common outcomes assessed. Primary prevention and secondary prevention strategies were carried out in 11 studies and 4 studies respectively .There was evidence of effectiveness of interventions however, most studies (n = 13) involved small sample sizes and all were judged to have an unclear or high risk of bias.
conclusionsLHWs have the potential to provide psychosocial and psychological interventions as part of primary and secondary prevention of MNS disorders in LMICs, but there is currently insufficient robust evidence of effectiveness of LHW led preventive strategies in this setting. More studies need to be carried out in a wider range of settings in LMICs that control for risk of bias as far as possible, and that also collect indicators relating to the fidelity and cost of interventions.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.