title: Impact of a community-based exercise programme on physical fitness in middle-aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Physical fitness is related to all-cause mortality, quality of life and risk of falls in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to analyse the impact of a long-term community-based combined exercise program (aerobic+resistance+agility/balance+flexibility) developed with minimum and low-cost material resources on physical fitness in middle-aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a non-experimental pre-post evaluation study. Participants (N=43; 62.92±5.92 years old) were engaged in a community-based supervised exercise programme (consisting of combined aerobic, resistance, agility/balance and flexibility exercises; three sessions per week; 70min per session) of 9 months' duration. Aerobic fitness (6-Minute Walk Test), muscle strength (30-Second Chair Stand Test), agility/balance (Timed Up and Go Test) and flexibility (Chair Sit and Reach Test) were assessed before (baseline) and after the exercise intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant improvements in the performance of the 6-Minute Walk Test (Δ=8.20%, p<0.001), 30-Second Chair Stand Test (Δ=28.84%, p<0.001), Timed Up and Go Test (Δ=14.31%, p<0.001), and Chair Sit and Reach Test (Δ=102.90%, p<0.001) were identified between baseline and end-exercise intervention time points.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A long-term community-based combined exercise programme, developed with low-cost exercise strategies, produced significant benefits in physical fitness in middle-aged and older patients with type 2 diabetes. This supervised group exercise programme significantly improved aerobic fitness, muscle strength, agility/balance and flexibility, assessed with field tests in community settings.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Unit, ACES Douro I - Marão e Douro Norte, Vila Real, Portugal; CIDESD - Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal. Electronic address: romeuduartemendes@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Romeu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mendes
authors.affiliation: CIDESD - Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Nelson
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: University of Beira Interior, Cova da Beira Hospital Centre, Covilhã, Portugal.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Themudo-Barata
authors.affiliation: CIDESD - Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Reis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D064797:Physical Conditioning, Human / Q000379:methods*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Actividad motora; Aptitud física; Community-based participatory research; Diabetes mellitus tipo 2; Diabetes mellitus type 2; Ejercicio; Exercise; Investigación participativa basada en la comunidad; Motor activity; Physical fitness