Intersectoral Strategies for Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Management in Emerging Countries: A Narrative Review of Food Sovereignty, Digital Health, and Syndemic Dynamics

Tatiana Palotta Minari ()
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Tatiana Palotta Minari: Department of Bioscience, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Santos 11015-020, SP, Brazil

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is no longer a standalone clinical condition—it has become a syndemic shaped by food insecurity, social inequality, and digital marginalization in emerging economies. This convergence calls for a reimagining of public health through intersectoral, digitally enabled, and culturally grounded approaches. This study explores how intersectoral strategies, supported by digital innovation and rooted in food sovereignty, can help prevent and manage T2D in emerging countries. Methods: A narrative review was conducted using the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. Studies published between 2014 and 2025 were included if they addressed T2D and food security in emerging contexts, focusing on intersectoral or multisectoral strategies. Studies on T1D, non-human subjects, and high-income settings were excluded from the study. Thirty-nine studies were critically synthesized. Results: Food insecurity acts as both a biological stressor and a sociopolitical condition that worsens poor glycemic control. Promising but underutilized intersectoral strategies include agroecological food systems, school-based nutrition programs, and community health worker networks. Digital tools, such as AI-driven diagnostics, blockchain food traceability, and mobile health platforms, offer scalable solutions but face challenges in infrastructure, digital literacy, and ethical governance. Conclusions: A digitally inclusive, ethically reflexive intersectoral paradigm is needed that recognizes food and digital access as human rights.

Keywords: syndemics; Type 2 diabetes; food insecurity; digital health equity; intersectoral governance; agroecology; health systems innovation; global south (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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