Research
ProActive Study
People who have a parent who has been diagnosed with diabetes have an increased risk of developing diabetes themselves, a risk that is increased by physical inactivity and obesity. The ProActive Study aims to test a method for increasing physical activity among individuals with a family history of type 2 diabetes.
The study has recruited 365 people aged between 30 and 55 years who have a parent with type 2 diabetes,. These individuals have not previously been diagnosed with diabetes and have an inactive lifestyle.
All of these people received a support programme aimed at increasing physical activity. Some received the programme in a face-to-face meeting (intensive level) and others received it in a telephone call or leaflet through the post (distance level). Other people received only brief advice about increasing physical activity.
Each person in the trial was left for a year and then assessed for the following:
- physical activity level (measured by heart rate monitoring with individual calibration)
- cardio-respiratory fitness
- psychological well-being
- physiological and biochemical parameters.
Overall, physical activity in people that received more than just the brief advice was increased by the equivalent of 20 minutes of brisk walking a day.
If successful, this type of intervention could have wide application in helping other groups of people who would benefit from increasing their activity levels. It could be adapted to help promote changes in other health-related behaviours such as diet and taking medication.
