Community-Based Exercise and Lifestyle Program Improves Health Outcomes in Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Morwenna Kirwan,Mellissa Hay,Christine L Chiu,Thomas Laing

doi:10.3390/ijerph18116147

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of Beat It—a community-based exercise and lifestyle intervention—in improving anthropometric and physical fitness outcomes in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Australians with T2DM who were aged 60 years or older were included. These individuals were enrolled in Beat It, a twice-weekly supervised group exercise and education program conducted over 8 weeks. Anthropometric measurements and physical fitness parameters were assessed at baseline and completion. Physical fitness measures were then compared to validated criterion standards of fitness levels required by older adults to remain physically independent into later life. Results: A total of 588 individuals were included in the study. At baseline, a substantial proportion of the cohort had physical fitness measures that were below the standard for healthy independent living for their gender and age. Significant improvements in waist circumference and physical fitness were observed post program and resulted in an increase in the number of participants who met the standard for healthy independent living. Conclusions: Participation in Beat It improved important health outcomes in older adults with T2DM. A longer-term follow-up is needed to determine whether these positive changes were maintained beyond the delivery of the program.

Highlights

IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
The improvements in aerobic capacity, strength, flexibility, and balance observed in this study demonstrated that Beat It can improve physical fitness in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), who may otherwise have been at risk of losing their independence
This study shows that the Beat It program works in practice, the operational nature of the dataset resulted in some issues with data matching between the in-person assessments and evaluation questionnaires

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Diabetes is a chronic condition characterised by high blood glucose levels and is one of the fastest-growing and most serious health conditions globally [1]. In Australia, the prevalence of diabetes is highest in older adults over the age of 65 years [2]. Type 2 diabetes (TD2M) accounts for 85–90% of all diabetes cases and is associated with insufficient levels of physical activity [2]. Older adults with T2DM have higher rates of co-morbidities and experience accelerated functional decline [3]

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