Poor self-rated health is associated with reduced adherence to therapy (1) and poorer glycaemic control for patients with diabetes (2). Engagement in physical activity (PA) improves self-rated health (3-5), however, less is known about this association in people with diabetes. This study aims to investigate the association between PA and self-rated health in adults with type 1 (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Data from 9,061 adult patients with T1D (n=2694; 52.4% females, mean age 43 years) and T2D (n=6367; 44.2% females, mean age 63 years) were analysed from the 2014 to 2018 biennial cross-sectional Australian National Diabetes Audit. PA was self-reported and categorised as sufficient (≥150min/week moderate and/or vigorous PA), insufficient (some activity but <150min/week), or participant being sedentary (no weekly moderate and/or vigorous PA). Self-rated health was measured using EuroQol visual analogue scale (0-100) based on patients’ subjective assessment of their health on the day of the survey. The association between PA and self-rated health was explored using multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, sex, diabetes duration, smoking status, difficulty following recommended diet, HbA1c, and forgetting to take medications. B and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported.
Being sufficiently active was reported by 63.2% of T1D and 39.3% of T2D patients. Compared to individuals with T1D who reported being sedentary, those reporting sufficient and insufficient PA had a higher self-rated health score: 10.87 (7.78-13.97), p<0.001 and 5.13 (1.91-8.37), p=0.002, respectively. Compared to individuals with T2D who reported being sedentary, those reporting sufficient and insufficient PA had a higher self-rated health score: 12.33 (10.76-13.90), p<0.001 and 7.18 (5.69-8.68), p<0.001, respectively.
In both individuals with T1D and T2D, greater engagement in PA was associated with higher self-rated health. Our findings suggest that promoting integrated PA as part of holistic diabetes management may help improve patients' overall health status.