Exercise consultation and physical activity in patients with type 1 diabetes

34 patients with type 1 diabetes were randomly assigned to either an intervention group, who received an exercise consultation, or to a control group, who received an 'exercise and diabetes' information leaflet. Physical activity was measured by the Scottish Physical Activity Questionnaire. At a follow-up of 3 weeks, the intervention group had increased their leisure time physical activity level (LTPA) by 64.8% (p=0.045 compared to baseline). This group were significantly different from the controls at 3 weeks (p=0.025 compared to the control group). Most of this increase in LTPA came from individuals at stages 4 and 5 (action and maintenance) of exercise behaviour. In the intervention group the number of individuals reporting sport or exercise participation increased from four out of 11 (36%) at baseline to eight out of 11 (73%) at 3 weeks. This increase was contributed by both males and females, who came from stages 2 and 3 (contemplation and preparation) of exercise behaviour. This study has demonstrated the effectiveness of the exercise consultation process in increasing short-term physical activity levels in a small group of individuals with type 1 diabetes. The intervention has been shown to be significantly more effective than information provided in a leaflet. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.