Effect of short-term glycemic control and physical activity on health-related quality of life among type 2 diabetes receiving care in a tertiary health facility in Ogun State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION: there are myriad of factors that influence health-related quality of life (HRQoL) which relationships remain unclear. Some of the factors include glycemic control and physical activity. This study determined the relationship between glycemic control, physical activity, and HRQoL among people living with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: data from a cross-section of persons living with type 2 diabetes included information about their most recent fasting blood glucose (FBG), physical activity (PA), and HRQoL. The PA and HRQoL were assessed with long-form international physical activity and short-form-36 questionnaires, respectively while FBG was gleaned from patients´ records. Data were subjected to statistical analysis at p<0.05 regarded as significant. RESULTS: a total of 119 participated in the study with mean age of 61.8±11.8 years and mostly women, 60.5% (n=72). About 68.9% (n=82) were physically active, 84.0% (n=100) had poor short-term glycemic control (median blood glucose 134, IQR (108-187) mm/dl). There was a positive correlation between participants´ PA and physical health (r= 0.425, p=0.001), mental health (r= 0.334, p= 0.001) and overall HRQoL (r= 0.403, p= 0.001) but not with FBG (r= 0.044, p= 0.641). However, their FBG correlated with the mental health domain of the HRQoL (r= -0.213, p= 0.021). The physically active had better overall HRQoL (62.53±19.10 vs 50.28±23.10, p = 0.001) than the physically inactive which effect persisted when stratified for glucose control (68.16±19.19 vs 47.62±21.52, p = 0.001). There was however no influence of glycemic control on the relationship between PA and HRQoL [b = 0.000, 95% CI (0.000, 0.000), t = 0.153, P = 0.88] meaning that the relationship is not moderated by glycemic control. CONCLUSION: physical activity is beneficial for improved HRQoL in type 2 diabetes irrespective of glycemic control. This calls for increasing the level of awareness and education of type 2 diabetics aimed at improving their physical activity levels and their quality of life.