Education, Physical Activity and Obesity among Adults with Type II Diabetes from the Standpoint of Orem's Self-care Theory

Abstract

Objectives: Describe the relationship between physical activity (steps/day)/exercise and obesity (body mass index, waist circumference and body fat) in adults with type II diabetes. The study also was intended to: 1) determine the relationship between education/ understanding of diabetes and physical activity / exercise, and 2) to identify differences in physical activity / exercise and overweight / obesity according to a set of socio-demographic variables. Materials and methods: The study was descriptive and correlational in design, with a random sample of 124 patients from 17 community centers in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. The measurements include: the New Lifestyles 2000 pedometer, plus questionnaires on self-care and the Diabetes Care Profile, BMI, WC and body fat. The data were analyzed with measures of central tendency, the Spearman correlation, the Mann- Whitney U testand the Kruskal Wallis test. Results: The average number of steps / day showed an inverse relationship to the BMI (r_s = - 0.282, p < 0.01) and WC (r_s = - 0.300, p < 0.01). Understanding diabetes had a positive relationship to exercise (r_s = 0.179, p = 0.04). Those with a higher percentage of body fat were women (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The findings have important implications for professional nursing practice, which plays a crucial role in promoting physical activity and other self-care behavior through education. Theory-based education is necessary for the advancement of knowledge in the discipline.