Diabetes diagnosis and exercise initiation among older Americans.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether exercise participation increased following a new diagnosis of diabetes using a sample of U.S. individuals aged 50 and over who did not report exercise prior to diagnosis.


METHODS
We used data from the 2004-2010 Health and Retirement Study in a pre-post study design. Individuals newly-diagnosed with diabetes (N=635) were propensity score matched to a comparison group with no diabetes.


RESULTS
In the year following a reported diagnosis, 35.7% (95% confidence interval 32.0 to 39.5) of those newly diagnosed with diabetes initiated exercise as compared with 31.4% (95% confidence interval 27.9 to 35.1) for the matched cohort with no diabetes, with a between-group difference of 4.3 percentage points (95% confidence interval -0.9 to 9.4). Among individuals with fewer health risk factors at baseline, the between-group difference was 15.6 percentage points (95% confidence interval 1.58 to 29.5).


CONCLUSIONS
Over 35% of persons with a new diagnosis of diabetes initiated moderate or vigorous exercise in the year following their diagnosis. Among individuals with fewer health risk factors at baseline, those newly-diagnosed with diabetes were more likely to begin exercise than those without diabetes.
Brown University, Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, 121 South Main Street, Box G-S121-6, Providence, RI 02912, USA. Electronic address: leigh_ann_leung@brown.edu.
Leigh Ann
LA
Leung
Brown University, Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, 121 South Main Street, Box G-S121-6, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
Shailender
S
Swaminathan
Brown University, Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, 121 South Main Street, Box G-S121-6, Providence, RI 02912, USA; Providence VA Medical Center, 830 Chalkstone Avenue, Providence, RI 02908, USA.
Amal N
AN
Trivedi
D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D057216:Propensity Score; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055512:Tertiary Prevention / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
Diagnosis; Exercise; Health behavior; Physician counseling; Tertiary prevention; Type 2 diabetes