Evaluation of physical activity with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire among outpatients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japan

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the amount of physical activity, including daily movement, and the factors related to the amount of physical activity undertaken by patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at an outpatient clinic.

Patients and methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 111 patients, aged 20 years or older, with type 2 diabetes mellitus, who visited a diabetes outpatient clinic. The amount of physical activity was investigated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Long Version. Influencing factors were divided into individual attributes (age, sex, and employment status), disease-related factors (body mass index, treatment period, medication usage, insulin usage, symptoms of fatigue, and lethargy), and emotion-related factors (depression and optimism). These were tested using stepwise regression analysis.

Results: Daily physical activity was 288 metabolic equivalents of task/minute. The sub-scores by the time of day showed "physical activity within the household" and "physical activity during leisure time" as the highest, with 51 metabolic equivalent of tasks/minute. Employment status, medication usage, and depression status were found to have a significant influence and explained 17.9% of the distribution of the entire model.

Conclusion: The results suggest that the amount of daily physical activity among non-working patients should increase. Moreover, we highlight the need to provide diabetes education from the early treatment stages and the importance of early detection and care of patients' psychological needs.