Personalized Exercise for Adolescents With Diabetes or Obesity

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Melissa S. Faulkner, Emory University; Sara Fleet Michaliszyn, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Joseph T. Hepworth, University of Arizona; Mark D. Wheeler, University of Arizona
• Language: English
• Date: 2014-01-01
• Publisher: SAGE Publications (UK and US)
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2013.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1099800413500064
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Biological Research For Nursing
• ISSN: 1099-8004
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 46
• End Page: 54
• Grant/Funding Information: This study was supported by a grant from NIH/NINR 7R21 NR009267 (PI, Faulkner).
• Keywords: YOUTH; CHILDREN; diabetes; obesity; HEART-RATE-VARIABILITY; RISK-FACTORS; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; TYPE-1; exercise; GLYCEMIC CONTROL; PREVALENCE; adolescents; INSULIN-RESISTANCE SYNDROME; PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY; CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS; Science & Technology; Nursing
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery; Health Sciences, Nursing

Abstract

Objective: This study examined adherence to a personalized, community-based exercise intervention by sedentary adolescents with type 1 or type 2 diabetes or those with obesity. Research design and Methods: We conducted a pretest-posttest investigation to explore the application of an individualized exercise prescription based upon current fitness level for 39 adolescents (20 with type 1 diabetes, 9 with type 2 diabetes, and 10 obese) over 16 weeks in community settings. Subjects were recruited from a university-based pediatric endocrinology clinic in the southwestern United States. Adherence to the exercise prescription was monitored using accelerometers over the entire intervention period. Results: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels significantly increased over sedentary baseline values (p < .001), but the average of 42.5 ± 22.1 min/day of MVPA determined at the end of the study was still less than the recommended 60 min/day. Perceptions of health were significantly increased for the total group following the intervention (p = .008). For those with type 1 diabetes, there was a significant association between MVPA duration and percentage change in HbA1c (r = -.526, p = .02). Conclusions: Recruitment and retention of adolescent participation in daily exercise is challenging. Personalized approaches that include adolescent choices with family support and ongoing motivation can improve individual exercise adherence and a sense of personal health.