Supervised pedometer program improves life quality for type 2 diabetes

New research suggests the lives of people with type 2 diabetes could be improved through supervised walking using a pedometer.
Published in the Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders, the diabetes study from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India, tested a supervised pedometer-based program on Asian Indians.
It was funded by the University Grant Commissio, New Delhi and led by Ruchika Guglani, a PhD research fellow in sports medicine and physiotherapy.
Diabetes pedometer study
Guglani and colleagues studied 102 patients with type 2 diabetes aged between 40 and 70. 28 were women, while 74 were men.
The type 2 diabetes participants were assigned randomly to one of three groups; a supervised exercise group with pedometer (Group A), a self-reported exercise group (Group B) and a control group (Group C). They were followed for 16 weeks, with all patients answering questionnaires at the end of the study.
Quality of life enhancement
The questionnaires acknowledged domains that negatively affected diabetes. Group A patients found improvements in several domains such as “freedom to eat”, “leisure activity”, “physical appearance”, and “self-confidence”.
Group B participants showed similar results, but not in certain negative domains such as “sex life” and “living condition”, where Group A patients showed increased happiness in these domains.
The researchers concluded: “The results of this study clearly imply that 30 to 40 minutes per day/session of moderate-intensity walking with pedometer is an effective method for the sedentary type 2 diabetes individuals to enhance quality of life.”