Association Between Physical Activity and Type 2 Diabetes Using the International Physical Activity Questionnaires: A Case-Control Study at a Health Promoting Hospital in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand

Miho Sodeno; Myo Nyein Aung; Motoyuki Yuasa; Saiyud Moolphate; Virat Klinbuayaem; Aranya Srikhamsao; Thin Nyein Nyein Aung; Setsuko Sato; Takeshi Tanigawa

doi:10.2147/DMSO.S382528

Association Between Physical Activity and Type 2 Diabetes Using the International Physical Activity Questionnaires: A Case-Control Study at a Health Promoting Hospital in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand

Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2022 Nov 23:15:3655-3667. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S382528. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Miho Sodeno^{1

2}, Myo Nyein Aung^{3

4

5}, Motoyuki Yuasa^{1

3}, Saiyud Moolphate⁶, Virat Klinbuayaem⁷, Aranya Srikhamsao⁸, Thin Nyein Nyein Aung⁹, Setsuko Sato¹, Takeshi Tanigawa¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
² National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Department of Global Health Research, Graduate School of Medicine Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
⁴ Advanced Research Institute for Health Sciences, Juntendo University, Tokyo, Japan.
⁵ Faculty of International Liberal Arts, Juntendo University, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
⁶ Department of Public Health, Faculty of Science and Technology, Chiang Mai Rajabhat University, Chiangmai, Thailand.
⁷ Sanpatong Hospital, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
⁸ Ban Hua Rin Subdistrict Health Promotion Hospital, Chiang Mai, 50120, Thailand.
⁹ Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand.

Abstract

Background: Health education and promotion is active in Thailand where diabetes is prevalent at 11.6% of the general adult population in 2021.

Purpose: This study aimed to describe and compare the levels of physical activity between patients with newly diagnosed diabetes and non-diabetic controls in northern Thailand.

Methods: This observational case-control study included participants aged between 25 and 74 years in Chiang Mai. We recruited 150 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at Sanpatong District Hospital and 150 control participants (non-T2DM) in the community. Interviews were conducted using the International Physical Activity Questionnaires-Short Form. Anthropometric measurements and social demographic information were collected from both patients and controls in 2019.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 58.8 ± 8.4 years in the T2DM group and 56.5 ± 9.9 years in the non-T2DM group. Compared to controls, patients with T2DM had received significantly more physical activity education (P < 0.001, Fisher's test). Most cases (93.3%) had received such education at a hospital or health center. The median total metabolic equivalents (METs) minutes per week (min/week) for participants in the T2DM group were higher than those in the non-T2DM group (2726 vs 1140 METs min/week) (P < 0.001, Mann-Whitney test). Comparing the case and control groups in the category of PA level, we found that the case group had a higher proportion of high-level physical activity (P < 0.001, chi-square test).

Conclusion: Diabetes patients attending a community hospital exhibited high levels of physical activity. The majority of them received education related physical activity from a primary health care service.

Keywords: DM; IPAQ; Thailand; diabetes mellitus; health education; international physical activity questionnaires; physical activity.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Pfizer Health Research Foundation Grant (international joint research) in 2017 and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS-Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research: Grant No. 18K10110).