Barriers to exercise in obese patients with type 2 diabetes

Although regular exercise is a critical component of the management of type 2 diabetes, many patients do not meet their exercise targets. Lack of exercise is associated with obesity and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

We aimed to assess exercise habits in obese Irish patients with type 2 diabetes to determine if patients are adhering to exercise guidelines and to identify perceived barriers to exercise in this group.

A cross-sectional study of obese patients with type 2 diabetes attending routine outpatient diabetes clinics at our institution, a public teaching hospital located on the outskirts of Dublin City.

A total of 145 obese patients with type 2 diabetes were administered a questionnaire to evaluate exercise habits and perceived barriers to exercise. Anthropometric details were measured.

About 47.6% (n = 69) of patients exercised for <150 minutes per week (40% of males, 62% of females; P = 0.019) and these patients had a higher body mass index than those meeting targets (35 vs. 33.5 kg/m(2); P = 0.02). Perceived barriers to exercise were varied, with lack of time and physical discomfort being the most common. Reported barriers to exercise varied with age, gender and marital status.

This study highlights the challenges facing clinicians in improving exercise levels in patients, and the need to identify the specific barriers to exercise in the individual to improve health outcomes.