The short walk to a healthy lifestyle for diabetics

Regular physical activity has the potential to improve both the health and quality of life for people suffering from Type 2 diabetes. The problem for many health experts is finding out how best to get that message across to sufferers and to effectively promote the benefits of exercise.

Now a new project led by Dr Alison Kirk of the Institute of Sport and Exercise, funded by grants of £115,000 from Diabetes UK and £30,000 from NHS Tayside, is aiming to find the most effective methods of engaging people with the disease in physical activity.

Dr Kirk is collaborating with Professor Nanette Mutrie of the University of Strathclyde and Dr Graham Leese, diabetes clinical team leader with NHS Tayside.

Regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle is recognised as playing a key role in both the prevention and treatment of Type 2 diabetes, but currently sufferers report a relative lack of available information on how best to approach it.

"The majority of people with Type 2 diabetes are inactive and a large number report failed attempts to exercise," said Dr Kirk.

"We see the promotion of physical activity as being part of diabetes care, but at present people with the disease report receiving less support, education and encouragement for physical activity than for any other aspect of diabetes management."

"In many cases diabetes health professionals have insufficient time or appropriate knowledge to promote physical activity. We want to find out how best that can be resolved, what systems will work best in encouraging people with Type 2 diabetes to take up physical activity that could bring real benefits to their health and quality of life."

"In turn, these benefits may reduce the need for treatment and have potential to substantially impact on the enormous health and economic costs of Type 2 diabetes."

The project will evaluate the effectiveness of new methods of physical activity counselling, in contrast to the current standard care delivered to people with Type 2 diabetes. Economic analyses will determine the most cost-effective intervention.

It is anticipated the results of this study will impact on current diabetes care in Scotland by providing important evidence and information for designing cost-effective promotion of physical activity.

The aim is to recruit around 140 people with Type 2 diabetes to take part in the project. Dr Kirk and her colleagues hope to be recruiting volunteers to the programme early in the New Year.