Factors associated with physical activity among adults with diabetes and hypertension in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Abstrakt

Purpose: Regular physical activity is central to the management of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) including Diabetes and Hypertension, with significant implications for glycemic control, blood pressure regulation and overall quality of life. However, physical activity patterns and factors associated with it in island populations such as South Andaman remain poorly documented.

Material and methods: A facility-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 400 adults aged 18 years and above diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension who are currently on treatment.

Results: Among the total participants, the majority were females (55.5%) and aged below 60 years (68%). Moderate to high physical activity was reported by 77% of the participants. Among individuals with Diabetes, 25.6% reported low, 43.8% moderate and 30.6% high physical activity. Among those with Hypertension, 25.0% reported low, 42.4% moderate and 32.6% high activity levels. Participants with both Diabetes and Hypertension reported low activity in 19 (17.8%), moderate in 54 (50.5%) and high in 34 (31.8%). Physical activity levels were found to be significantly associated with age (p < 0.001), gender (p = 0.040), socioeconomic class (p < 0.001), type of family (p < 0.001), educational status (p = 0.003), employment status (p < 0.001), body mass index (p < 0.001) and sleep duration (p = 0.041) while religion, caste, marital status and resident status played no significance.

Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that majority of participants exhibited moderate to high physical activity and it appears to be associated with demographic and lifestyle factors than by the NCD itself