Association Between Physical Activity and Type 2 Diabetes Using the International Physical Activity Questionnaires: A Case-Control Study at a Health Promoting Hospital in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand

Abstract

Background

Health education and promotion is active in Thailand where diabetes is prevalent at 11.6% of the general adult population in 2021.

Purpose

This study aimed to describe and compare the levels of physical activity between patients with newly diagnosed diabetes and non-diabetic controls in northern Thailand.

Methods

This observational case–control study included participants aged between 25 and 74 years in Chiang Mai. We recruited 150 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at Sanpatong District Hospital and 150 control participants (non-T2DM) in the community. Interviews were conducted using the International Physical Activity Questionnaires–Short Form. Anthropometric measurements and social demographic information were collected from both patients and controls in 2019.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 58.8 ± 8.4 years in the T2DM group and 56.5 ± 9.9 years in the non-T2DM group. Compared to controls, patients with T2DM had received significantly more physical activity education (P < 0.001, Fisher’s test). Most cases (93.3%) had received such education at a hospital or health center. The median total metabolic equivalents (METs) minutes per week (min/week) for participants in the T2DM group were higher than those in the non-T2DM group (2726 vs 1140 METs min/week) (P < 0.001, Mann–Whitney test). Comparing the case and control groups in the category of PA level, we found that the case group had a higher proportion of high-level physical activity (P < 0.001, chi-square test).

Conclusion

Diabetes patients attending a community hospital exhibited high levels of physical activity. The majority of them received education related physical activity from a primary health care service.

Keywords:

• diabetes mellitus
• DM
• health education
• physical activity
• international physical activity questionnaires
• IPAQ
• Thailand

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Pfizer Health Research Foundation Grant (international joint research) in 2017 and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS-Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research: Grant No. 18K10110).