ReviewBMJ open2026
How lifestyle counselling supports behaviour change among Thai adults with non-communicable diseases: a rapid realist review.
Review in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveNon-communicable diseases (NCDs) are major contributors to morbidity and mortality in Thailand, yet the effectiveness of lifestyle counselling within routine practice is underexplored. This rapid realist review examined how, for whom and under what circumstances lifestyle counselling supports behaviour change among Thai adults.
designRapid realist review following guidance from the Realist and Meta-narrative Evidence Synthesis: Evolving Standards (RAMESES).
settingLifestyle counselling and health-coaching interventions for NCD prevention and management delivered in Thai primary care, community settings or digitally supported programmes. DATA SOURCES: Six international and Thai databases (Scopus, Google Scholar, ProQuest, PubMed, EMBASE (Ovid) and ThaiJo) were searched for studies published between 2005 and 2025. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Empirical studies involving adults (≥18 years) in Thailand that described lifestyle counselling or coaching interventions for NCD-related prevention or management and reported outcomes. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Data were extracted to identify contexts (C), mechanisms (M), outcomes (O) and equity considerations. These were synthesised into context-mechanism-outcome configurations (CMOCs) and helped to form programme theories.
results16 studies were included. 19 explanatory configurations were identified across six mechanisms: self-efficacy, social support, motivation, accountability, emotional resilience and relevance and engagement. These mechanisms and programme theories (PTs) were supported by family-centred education, routine self-monitoring with feedback, culturally or literacy-tailored materials and brief stress-regulation strategies. Barriers included low health and digital literacy, conflicting norms, short programme duration and rural workforce constraints. Facilitators included plain-language materials, low-tech or hybrid follow-up, co-designed dietary strategies and task-sharing with village health volunteers and family members.
conclusionsThis rapid realist review identified six PTs, suggesting that the operation of lifestyle counselling interventions for non-communicable diseases in Thailand may be influenced by cultural norms, family and community support, village health volunteers and health service capacity. The findings highlight the potential importance of sustained follow-up, cultural and literacy tailoring and accessible modes of delivery in supporting behaviour change and self-management across different contexts. These PTs provide insight into how lifestyle counselling may operate in Thailand and may inform future research and the refinement of lifestyle counselling interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.