Physical activity levels, its barriers, and associated factors among the patients with type 2 diabetes residing in the capital city of Bangladesh

Abstract

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of physical activity (PA), its barriers, and the associated factors among the patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in Bangladesh.

Methods

This cross-sectional study recruited 215 patients with T2DM who visited the Bangladesh Institute of Health Sciences General Hospital from January to December 2019. Their PA level and its barriers were detected using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Barriers to Being Active Quiz, respectively. The PA levels and their barriers were presented using descriptive statistics. The associated factors of PA were identified using the multinomial logistic regression analysis.

Results

Nearly one third of the study subjects (31.2%) were physically inactive. Among the active subjects (68.8%), more than half were moderately active (46%) and rest (22.8%) were engaged in vigorous PA. In the reported barriers of PA, half of the respondents considered “lack of willpower” as the major barrier followed by “lack of energy” (39.4%) and “lack of time” (36.7%). The associated factors of PA level were the occupational status (employed), monthly income, and the personal barrier “lack of time.”

Conclusion

A significant portion of Bangladeshi patients did not meet the recommended PA and several personal barriers were identified as the contributing factors of this inactivity. It demands intervention to motivate them to increase PA and their commitment to time management. Future research could clarify the current finding more precisely using the objective measurement of PA in a large sample of patients with T2DM.