Diabetes is a major chronic condition and was identified as one of the four priority non-communicable diseases that the United Nations targeted because of its increasing disease burden. In a recent study, researchers have reported that frequent physical activity is associated with a lower risk of diabetes in older adults. The study findings were published in the journal Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews in January 2022 issue.
India is burdened with a significant global diabetes burden and is considered the diabetic capital of the world. An increase in life expectancy has led to an increase in the number of older adults in India. The rise in the number of older adults has been a cause of concern as it has been associated with an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, including diabetes. The link between physical activity and diabetes among older adults remain understudied. Therefore, Dr Pradeep Kumar and his team conducted a study to examine the impact of physical activity on improving diabetes mellitus among older adults in India.
Using data from India's first nationally representative longitudinal ageing survey (2017–18), the researchers conducted descriptive along with bivariate analysis to present the preliminary results. They also used propensity score matching (PSM) analysis to estimate treatment effects for cross-sectional/observational/non-experimental data.
Key findings of the study:
Among 72,250 individuals, the researchers observed that 14% of older adults had diabetes, of which 18% of older adults did frequent physical activity.
They noted that the estimated average treatment effect on the treated (ATT) values in treated and control groups were 0.123 and 0.147 suggesting that the prevalence of diabetes among older adults was reduced by 2.5% points because of frequent physical activity.
The average treatment effect on the untreated (ATU) results indicates that among older adults who did not do frequent physical activity if they did the frequent physical activity, the prevalence of diabetes is likely to decrease by 2.2% points.
The authors concluded, " Our findings show that frequent physical activity is associated with a lower risk of diabetes in older adults. The results underscore the need to develop strategies of promoting an active lifestyle by maintaining physical activity to combat the diabetes epidemic in the older population."
For further information:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2021.102353