Objective measurements of activity patterns in people with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes demonstrate a sedentary lifestyle

Aims To evaluate physical activity in people with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes using objective measures. Methods We analysed data from a study aimed at assessing carotid femoral pulse wave velocity in which a piezoelectric accelerometer was worn by 100 people with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes and by 100 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Differences in physical activity patterns were investigated. Results Compared with the control group, the people with Type 2 diabetes spent significantly more time engaged in sedentary or lower level activities during the day, with a mean (sd) time of 926 (44) vs 898 (70) min, P<0.001). This difference remained significant after correction for differences in BMI between the two groups. Conclusions Using objective measurements, our findings demonstrate that people with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes have a more sedentary lifestyle compared with well-matched controls.