Health promotion interventions for ethnic minority populations living with multiple long-term conditions (H-PRIME) in OECD countries: a scoping review

Abstract

People living with multiple long-term conditions (MLTC, also called multimorbidity) experience substantial health burden, with those from ethnic minority populations disproportionately affected due to persistent health inequalities. This scoping review identified health promotion interventions designed to address MLTC in ethnic minority populations. Five databases and Google Scholar were searched from inception to June 2025 for studies conducted in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries that included ≥50% ethnic minority participants living with MLTC. Health promotion interventions were defined as programmes, activities, or initiatives delivered in any setting that operate at one or more levels (individual, health system, community, societal, and policy), consistent with the five action areas of the Ottawa Charter for Health promotion. Descriptive and qualitative content analysis was undertaken, with interventions mapped against the Ottawa Charter action areas. Twenty-six studies were included in total, with the majority from the United States of America (USA; n = 24, 92%). One study each was conducted in Canada (n = 1, 4%) and Australia (n = 1, 4%). The interventions aligned with four of the five Ottawa Charter action areas: developing personal skills (26, 100%), creating supportive environments (n = 23, 88%), strengthening community action (n = 14, 54%), and reorienting health services (n = 21, 81%). No intervention directly addressed building healthy public policy. Evidence on health promotion interventions for ethnic minority populations with MLTC is currently underdeveloped, concentrated in the USA, with clear gap in policy action. There is an urgent need for research in OECD countries embedding a multi-level approach to address gaps in policy-actions.