Physical activity at home, at leisure, during transportation and at work in French adults with type 2 diabetes: The ENTRED physical activity study

AimOur study assessed the distribution of physical activity during various typical tasks of daily life in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D), a population typified by low physical activity.MethodsWe investigated the duration and intensity of physical activity in four domains (work, leisure, transportation and domestic), and how individual determinants might influence the repartition. The long-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was administered to participants from the échantillon national témoin représentatif des personnes diabétiques (ENTRED), a study of French adults with T2D (n = 724, 65% men, age 62 ± 10 y, BMI 29 ± 5 kg.m−2, HbA1c 7.1 ± 1.1%), and the associations between sociodemographic/clinical characteristics and categories of physical activity intensity (low, moderate or high) were examined by logistic regression.ResultsThe median total physical activity was 2079 [Q1 = 893, Q3 = 3915] MET-min·week−1. The main contributors to total physical activity were domestic chores, followed by leisure-time activities and transportation (median: 630, 347 and 198 MET-min·week−1, respectively). Absence of cardiovascular complications (OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.01–3.47), age < 65 y (OR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.30–4.01) and better self-perceived health (OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.18–3.83) were associated with more physical activity. In all patient subgroups (defined by category of physical activity intensity or stratified by determinants of physical activity level), domestic chores were always the main contributor to total physical activity (P < 0.0001).ConclusionDomestic chores are the predominant routine whereby adults with T2D engage in physical activity. This emphasizes the vast potential for promoting voluntary leisure-time physical activity in this population.