Objective measurement of physical activity in adults with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes and healthy individuals

Aims: Physical activity (PA) has many benefits in type 1 diabetes mellitus (type 1 DM). However, PA levels in people with type 1 DM have not previously been measured accurately. We aimed to compare objectively measured PA in adults recently diagnosed with type 1 DM and healthy adults. Methods: Accelerometer data from 65 healthy adults (mean (SD) age 31 (13), 29% men) were compared with data from 50 people with type 1 DM (mean (SD) age 33 (10), 64% men), time since diagnosis <3months, HbA1c 76±25mmol/mol) in the EXTOD (Exercise for Type 1 Diabetes) pilot study. Briefly, EXTOD investigated the feasibility of recruiting recently diagnosed adults with type 1 DM into a yearlong exercise intervention. Multiple-regression models were used to investigate the association between diabetes status and activity outcomes. Results: Adults recently diagnosed with type 1 DM spent on average a quarter less time in moderate-to-vigorous-physical-activity (MVPA) per day than healthy adults (after adjusting for confounders, predicted values: type 1 DM adults: (mean (SD)) 37.4mins/day (9.1) Healthy adults: 52.9mins/day (11.0)). No difference in MVPA between the groups was seen at the weekend, but adults with type 1 DM spent more time in light physical activity (LPA), and less time in sedentary behaviour. Time spent in sedentary or LPA during weekdays did not differ between groups. Summary: Adults recently diagnosed with type 1 DM do less MVPA. Health care workers should encourage these people to engage in more PA. Further studies are needed to assess PA in people with type 1 DM of longer duration.