Adherence to physical exercise recommendations among type 2 diabetes patients during the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: International journal of Africa nursing sciences 2022, Vol.16, p.100407-100407, Article 100407
• Main Authors: Abate, Hailemichae Kindie, Ferede, Yohanes Mulu, Mekonnen, Chilot Kassa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adherence: exercise; Coronavirus; COVID-19; Diabetes; Ethiopia; Type 2
• ISSN: 2214-1391; 2214-1391
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijans.2022.100407

In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, nonadherence to the recommended physical exercise for diabetic patients is a difficult issue. Regular physicalexercise is critical for reducing further complications of diabetes mellitus and the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of type 2 adult diabetes patients’ exercise recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 576 diabetes mellitus patients from August 1, 2020, to September 28, 2020. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study participants. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Frequency tables and percentages were used to explain the study variables. A binary logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. A total of 576 diabetes mellitus patients participated in the study, with a response rate of 99.3%. The overall prevalence of exercise adherence was 26.4%, whereas 73.6% were non-adherents to exercise recommendations. Rural residency (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.16–3.27) and COVID-19 related knowledge (AOR = 9.95, 95% CI: 41.14–5.24) were both strongly associated with exercise recommendations. In this study, only one-fourth of patients had exercised adherence during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Knowledge about COVID-19 was one of the factors that was strongly associated with adherence to exercise recommendations for diabetes patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging home-based exercises can improve adherence to exercise recommendations.