Physical activity, healthy lifestyle, and subjective well-being in people with type 2 diabetes: testing the efficacy of an exercise program

Luis Cid^1,2Diogo Monteiro^2,3Romeu Mendes^4,5,6Filipa Cláudio^1,7Teresa Bento^1,2Miguel Jacinto^2,3Nuno Couto^1,2*Pedro Alexandre Duarte-Mendes^8,9*

• ¹School of Sports of Rio Maior, Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, Rio Maior, Santarém, Portugal
• ²Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
• ³School of Education and Social Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
• ⁴Local Health Unit (ULS) of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
• ⁵Epidemiology Research Unit of the Institute of Public Health (EPIUnit) of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
• ⁶Health Nacional Authority (DGS), Lisboa, Portugal
• ⁷Rio Maior Sports Center (DESMOR), Rio Maior, Portugal
• ⁸Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, Portugal
• ⁹Sport Physical Activity and Health Research & Innovation Center (SPRINT), Santarém, Portugal

This work aimed to: I) validate the Portuguese version of the FANTASTIC questionnaire, which allows the assessment of lifestyle behaviors through a sample constituted by a total of 562 Portuguese subjects; II) through a quasi-experimental study, test the effectiveness of a physical exercise program, designed specifically for people with type 2 diabetes, on subjective well-being and lifestyle changes.. For nine months, the 32 subjects (14 males and 17 females with type 2 diabetes, aged between 58 and 79 years) were involved in the physical exercise program sessions of 90 minutes each, three times per week, with moderate intensity, which included the combination of aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, agility, balance, and flexibility. Regarding the first goal of this study, the results show us a reliable factorial solution with nine factors and 27 items from the FANTASTIC questionnaire. Lastly, aligned with the second goal of this study, the results indicate that the subjects who were involved in the exercise program significantly improved the positive affect, satisfaction with life, physical activity, sleep, stress, and nutrition behaviors, and significantly diminished the negative affect. However, these results should be interpreted with some caution, as our study did not have a control group, and the sample was one of convenience, limiting the capacity of inference of the results. We should therefore continue to carry out further studies in the future to consolidate the results achieved in the present study.