This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Depressive symptoms weaken efficacy of physical activity programs for diabetes prevention
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Adults who report a greater number of depressive symptoms may engage in less physical activity, putting them at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to findings published in Diabetes Care.
“Although the consequences of major affective disorders on diabetes management have been well researched, their effect on diabetes prevention is less clear,” Thomas Yates, PhD, MSc, BSc, a professor of physical activity, sedentary behavior and health in the Diabetes Research Centre at the University of Leicester in the U.K., and colleagues wrote. “As depression is known to reduce the level of self-care and healthy behaviors in individuals with type 2 diabetes, it may also reduce the effectiveness of diabetes prevention programs.”
Yates and colleagues examined data on physical activity through daily walking behavior as well as depressive symptoms in a cohort of 1,163 individuals (mean age, 65 years; 35% women) from Leicestershire, England, who participated in trials evaluating the Let’s Prevent Type 2 Diabetes and Walking Away from Type 2 Diabetes programs. Steps per day were recorded via pedometer or accelerometer in each program. Follow-up occurred annually for 2 years after each program. As part of each trial, participants answered a questionnaire at baseline to evaluate depressive symptoms and then again annually for 3 years.
The researchers found that there were 363 more steps taken per day by program participants (n = 592) vs. the participants who were randomly assigned to standard care for comparison (n = 571). Program participants took 592 more steps per day if they did not report any depressive symptoms at any point during the study. However, the researchers noted that participants took 88 fewer steps per day (95% CI, 21-155) for each reported baseline depressive symptom compared with those who reported no baseline symptoms. In addition, participants took 99 fewer steps per day than they did upon recruitment (95% CI, 2-196) when reporting a single rise in depressive symptom score and for each subsequent rise.
“This study suggests that the presence of depressive symptoms is associated with a reduction in the effectiveness of diabetes prevention programs at promoting physical activity within primary care,” the researchers wrote. “Therefore, diabetes prevention programs should consider broadening their content to include a focus on depression as a core aim.” – by Phil Neuffer
Disclosures: Yates reports he is a member of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) public health guidance 38 (Preventing type 2 diabetes: risk identification and interventions for individuals at high risk). Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts