Association between Intensity Levels of Physical Activity and Glucose Variability among Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Studies would indicate a reduction in hemoglobin A1c levels following moderate and/or vigorous physical activity (PA) for people managing diabetes. However, prior investigations rarely looked at glucose variability in an adolescent population. Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to test the relationship between physical activity intensity levels and glucose variability in a sample of adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and if the amount of time accumulated for each intensity level is predictive of changes in glucose variability. Methods: Glucose variability was determined using continuous glucose monitor data and physical activity intensity time was retrieved through Fitabase(®). Both glucose and physical activity data were collected over a two-week timeframe. Data analysis was completed using Pearson’s correlation and a simple linear regression with a p-value of 0.05 to determine significance. Results: A significant inverse relationship was observed (p = 0.04) between glucose variability and average minutes of daily moderate-intensity activity (r = −0.59), as well as moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) combined (r = −0.86; p = 0.03). A simple linear regression indicated that only MVPA was a significant predictor of glucose variability (β = −0.12; 95% CI: −0.23–−0.01, p = 0.03). Conclusion: These data demonstrated that the total amount of daily physical activity is important when properly managing type 1 diabetes mellitus, but time spent in MVPA over two weeks may have an inverse relationship with glucose variability in children and adolescents over a span of two weeks.