Walking as a Standardized Intervention in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Quality Improvement Project within the Primary Care Setting

Introduction/Purpose: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a multifaceted disease. Implementing interventions focused on physical activity (PA) can aid in reducing the risk of developing devastating complications. The objective of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational and PA intervention on activity levels, weight, BMI, and weekly average blood sugar levels. Methods: The quality improvement (QI) project provided consented participants with a 15-minute educational presentation via printed handouts tailored from the American Diabetes Association toolkit. Participants then began a six-week walking intervention of 30-minutes, five days a week and received weekly phone reminders. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF), weight, height, BMI, and participants’ report of average weekly blood sugar level were collected pre- and post-intervention. Results The results of the dependent t-test (n = 7) did not show a statistical difference in the participants report of physical activity between pre-intervention (M = 6109.9, SD = 5934.4 ) and post-intervention (M = 4812.9, SD = 5337.4) IPAQ-SF survey scores, t(0.5768) = 6, p < 0.5850. However, the average results of post-intervention weight, BMI, and BS level (224.7, 35.4, and 118 respectively) showed a 2%-5% decrease compared to pre-intervention results (228.7, 36.1, and 122). Discussion: In clinical practice, achieving optimal glycemic control on a long-term basis is challenging, since the reasons for poor control in T2DM are multifaceted. (“Factors that Correlate with Poor Glycemic Control in Type 2 ... - ophrp”) In view of this, interventions aimed at PA using evidence-based guidelines must be initiated at time of diagnosis to reduce the severity of disease and prevent complications.