Predictors of adherence to physical activity guidelines in patients with diabetes mellitus in the US in 2017: An exploratory analysis

AIMS: To identify if there is an association between socio-economic or demographic factors, lifestyle habits, or chronic conditions and meeting the current exercise recommendations for adult patients with Diabetes Mellitus 2 in the United States. METHODS: This secondary analysis of a cross sectional study used data from participants who reported having diabetes and answered questions regarding physical activity in the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey (n=37,204; 42% women; 30%\u3c60 \u3eyears-of-age). Respondents were dichotomized according to physical activity adherence. Predictors tested included socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, and chronic conditions. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Our data showed that 46.5% of participants with diabetes adhered to the physical activity guidelines. Daily smokers were 25% less likely to adhere to the physical activity recommendations (95% CI 0.59-0.95), patients with obesity were 37% less likely (95% CI 0.53-0.74), and those with chronic kidney disease were 24% (95% CI 0.61-0.94) less likely to do so. The odds of adhering to exercise guidelines were reduced by 20% (95% CI 0.70-0.92), 42% (95% CI 0.49-0.68), and 47% (95% CI 0.32-0.57) in good, fair, and poor health respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients with poor health, daily smoking, obesity, or kidney disease may benefit from targeted interventions to accomplish their physical activity recommendations