Assessing Quality-of-Life, Self-Reported Exercise, and BMI in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

In the United States, 65.7 percent of adult Americans are overweight (i.e. ∼127 million) or obese (i.e. 69 million). Obesity is directly linked to the occurrence of comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes, which affects approximately 15 million people nationwide and accounts for 90–95% of all cases of diabetes. West Virginia ranks third in the nation for percentage of obese adults (i.e. ∼30%) and obesity has been negatively related to quality-of-life and exercise behavior. PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between quality-of-life (QOL), self-reported exercise, and BMI in individuals with type 2 diabetes. It was hypothesized that BMI would be inversely related to QOL scores and self-reported exercise participation. METHODS: We examined the impact weight has on QOL by using the Impact-of-Weight-on-Quality-of-Life-Lite (IWQOL-Lite) inventory. BMI was assessed to classify patients with type 2 diabetes as overweight or obese. Participants (11 men, 14 women with demonstrated type 2 diabetes, mean disease duration = 13.6 ± 9.5y) were recruited through the Physician Office Center at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, WV. Pearson-product moment correlations were used to examine relationships between demographic data and survey responses. Independent t-tests were used to determine descriptive differences between men and women. RESULTS: The mean BMI for all participants was 31.2 ± 4.7 (range 23-41), indicating these patients were obese. Men and women did not differ in demographic characteristics, except men weighed more (p<0.05) and self-reported more exercise participation (p<0.05). For men and women combined, BMI and self-reported exercise were inversely related (r=−0.44, p<0.05) and BMI was also negatively correlated to QOL instrument scales of Physical Function (r=−0.68, p<0.001); Self-Esteem (r=−0.42, p<0.05); Public Distress (r=−0.54, p<0.01); Work (r=−0.66, p<0.001), and; Total Score (r=−0.68, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Type 2 diabetes, which is associated with obesity, may negatively affect self-reported exercise participation and several quality-of-life parameters. Future research should examine the relationship of the studied variables in patients with type 2 diabetes enrolled in supervised exercise programs.