RESEARCH ARTICLE Type 2 diabetes patients’ s

er Background different lifestyle programs [1–5]. Driven by these re-Veldwijk et al. BMC Public Health 2013, 13:1099 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/13/1099of T2DM patients aged 35–65 years. Lifestyle changes2University Medical Center Utrecht, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Utrecht, The NetherlandsParticipation rates of lifestyle programs among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients are less than optimal around the globe [1,2]. Yet, there appears to be notable delays in the development of the disease and the onset of diabetes-related complications among participants in sults, combined with the increasing prevalence of T2DM and high disease-specific mortality rates [6,7], lifestyle interventions have been included in standardized care protocols for the treatment of T2DM patients in several countries [8–10]. However, in general, the participation rates of such lifestyle programs among T2DM patients are unsatisfactory, ranging from 20-70 % of those eligible for such programs [1,2,11]. Suboptimal participation rates are especially worrisome among the growing populatio