Kinesiology

Diabetics, stand up!

After 12 weeks of a new treatment for persons suffering from type 2 diabetes or at risk, 29 study subjects showed a marked improvement in their state of health: lower adipose tissue levels, reduced arterial pressure, improved mental health, and better vitality.

What is this revolutionary treatment? A varied program of structured physical activities developed by researchers at Université de Montréal, dubbed ‘Diabetaction.’ “We did individual assessments of these 29 people and found that all experienced improved health,” explains Marie-Eve Mathieu, who is devoting her doctoral thesis in the Department of Kinesiology to this promising treatment. “And most of them continued their exercise program for three months after the end of the group study.” The results, presented at the congress of the American College of Sports Medicine in May, have garnered considerable interest from the scientific community.

Louise Béliveau studies physical activity in populations with special needs, including those who are pregnant or have a heart condition. “We always tell diabetics that they must do more exercise. But we didn’t know how to help them do it,” explains Ms. Béliveau, who directed the project.

The Diabetaction program, financed by Health Canada, consists of a kit that physical education and health care workers can buy for $85. The reusable document holder, which contains plasticized sheets, a CD-ROM and a booklet for the caregiver, offers a 10-step training plan with one session a week, and calls for two assessments of the clients’ physical condition. What makes this portable kit so interesting is that it can be used by anyone, anywhere—from an interdisciplinary team at a rehabilitation hospital in Montreal to a nurse in a CLSC in the Gaspé. It is fully illustrated and written in easy-to-understand language.

One of the strengths of this program is its the variety it provides: the participants don’t just walk in a circle in a gymnasium. The program includes activities such as badminton, cycling, ringuette, ball games, aqua-fit, and body-building all done to music. “We even accompany the participants to the gym, a place many of them would not dare venture alone,” Marie-Eve Mathieu explains. Several participants admitted that, after this introduction, they were able to overcome their embarrassment and were okay to not wait until they had an athlete’s body before they went back. Mathieu says it is very intimidating for them to go for the first time.

Immigrant clients responded particularly well to the exercise program, which was developed by specialists. Some women from the Indian subcontinent, for example, who looked upon leisure time as time stolen from the family, changed their perception within a few weeks. For them, physical activity became a way to get into better shape to take on their family responsibilities.