Effect of exercise interventions based on family management or self-management on glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Most studies about exercise interventions for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have been conducted in hospitals or labs, but it is unclear whether study findings from this specific condition can be generalised to real-life T2DM communities. If patients with T2DM can exercise on their own or with family members, it may also reduce the need for patient supervision by medical staff, thereby reducing the burden of medical treatment and improving condition management's cost-effectiveness and practicability. Much of the current research on exercise interventions for T2DM was focused on the type of exercise and less on the mode of management, so we aimed to examine the effect of exercise interventions based on family management or self-management on glycaemic control in patients with T2DM. METHODS: Articles were searched from eight Chinese and English databases. Randomized control trials (RCTs) published in English and Chinese, from inception to October 17, 2022, were included in this review. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the RCT risk of bias assessment tool provided by the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool. Meta-analysis was performed using Rev Man 5.4 and Stata 15.0 software. Heterogeneity was investigated using sensitivity analysis and subgroup analyses. Publication bias was tested by funnel plot and Egger's asymmetry tests. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies with a total of 913 subjects were finally included in this review. The Meta-analysis showed that exercise interventions based on family management or self-management were more effective than control groups in reducing HbA1c (Z = 3.90; 95% CI MD = − 0.81; − 1.21 to − 0.40; P < 0.0001), fasting glucose (Z = 4.63; 95% CI MD = − 1.17; − 1.67 to − 0.68; P < 0.00001), 2-h plasma glucose (Z = 5.53; 95% CI MD = − 1.84; − 2.50 to − 1.19; P < 0.00001), and Low-density lipoproteins levels (Z = 3.73; 95% CI MD = − 0.38; − 0.58 to − 0.18; P = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Exercise interventions based on family management or self-management can significantly reduce glycosylated haemoglobin, fasting glucose, 2-h plasma glucose, and Low-density lipoproteins levels in patients with T2DM, which can effectively delay disease progression and reduce the risk of developing complications. In the future, for exercise interventions based on family or self-management, this review recommended that exercise intervention programmes should be formulated according to 30–60 min per session, more than three times per week, for more than six months of aerobic exercise or aerobic combined with resistance exercise. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13098-023-01209-4.