DIABETES AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG SAUDI WOMEN

Abstract

Given the fact that Saudi women with DM have more obesity but lower levels of physical activity compared to men, and have additional cultural barriers to physical activity, new interventions are needed. Home-based interventions would be ideal as the women would not need to rely on transportation to a gymnasium or park for exercise. Although, home-based interventions are relatively low-cost, for both the patient and the healthcare system, no studies were found in which researchers tested an exercise intervention in Saudi women with DM delivered at home using the Internet. The purpose of this proposed study will be to evaluate the effectiveness of a home-based, internet-delivered exercise intervention to decrease fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and body mass index (BMI), and to increase level of physical activity in Saudi women with DM. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. A convenience sample of 20 participants was recruited from three PHC centers located in Qatif city. FPG, BMI, and level of physical activity were collected at baseline and eight weeks post intervention. There was a significant increase in participants’ steps from pre to post-test, t(19) = -2.21, p = 0.04, M = 5010.82 (SD = 2905.01) to 5980.3 (SD = 2022.47) respectively. Also, results indicated a significant decline in FPG and BMI from pre to post-test, [t(19) = 9.63, p < 0.001, M = 140.35 (SD = 16.13) to 135.7 (SD = 16.23)], [t(19) = 8.26, p < 0.001 M = 33.42 (SD = 2.44) to 32.84 (SD = 2.49)], respectively. Findings from this study highlight the value of increasing the levels of physical activity of Saudi women with DM. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity programs.