mHealth-Supported Intervention Boosts Physical Activity in Adults With Newly Diagnosed Diabetes

TUESDAY, April 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A mobile health (mHealth)-supported home-delivered physical activity (PA) intervention is feasible and effective at promoting sustained, purposeful exercise in adults with newly diagnosed diabetes, according to a study published online March 26 in BMJ Open.

Katie Hesketh, Ph.D., from University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, and colleagues assessed the feasibility of an mHealth-supported home-delivered PA intervention (MOTIVATE-T2D) in adults with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes. The analysis included 125 participants randomly assigned (1:1) to intervention (MOTIVATE-T2D) or active control groups.

The researchers found that MOTIVATE-T2D participants were more likely to start (odds ratio [OR], 10.4) and maintain purposeful exercise at six (OR, 7.1) and 12 months (OR, 2.9). An exploratory analysis showed a potential effect in favor of MOTIVATE-T2D, including proposed primary outcomes hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and systolic blood pressure in a future randomized controlled trial (between-group mean differences: HbA1c at six months, −5 percent change from baseline; HbA1c at 12 months, −2 percent change from baseline; systolic blood pressure at six months, −1 mm Hg; systolic blood pressure at 12 months, −4 mm Hg).

“The results from this trial suggest that the MOTIVATE-T2D approach of using biometrics from wearable technologies to support a home-delivered, personalized behavioral counseling service was promising for the promotion, uptake, and adherence to purposeful exercise in people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes,” the authors write.

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