CW-School of Applied Human Sciences

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Factors affecting participation in physical activity and adherence to exercise programmes by persons living with diabetes mellitus.
(Department of sport science Kyambogo University, 2013) Wachira, L. M.; Onywera, V.O.
This study investigated exercise patterns in the management of diabetes by adult diabetics at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Diabetics' predisposition to exercise, actual and perceived barriers to engagement in active physical activity was investigated as well as influences of age, gender, type of diabetes, duration of having diabetes and knowledge of exercise for diabetes on physical activity participation. Subjects comprised 140 diabetic patients who had been diagnosed to have diabetes mellitus. The results indicated that the main barriers to participation in physical activity and adherence to exercise programmes included; experience of pain, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia as a results of exercise (36.0%), physical disability resulting from complications of the disease (18.0%), lack of knowledge on exercise i.e. what to do, how hard and for how long (38.1 %), perception of exercise being unnecessary if one can successfully manage with other forms of treatment (12.9), feeling of sufficiency of daily work and home activities thus need not engage in exercise (40.3), lack of motivation to exercise (22.3%) and fear of the outcomes of exercise on the condition (24.5%). The study recommends follow-up intervention and further research in the area.