2nd Edition of International Obesity and Metabolism Conference 2026

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by persistent hyperglycemia. Lifestyle factors, including dietary adherence and physical activity, play critical roles in glycemic control, particularly among overweight and obese individuals. Nevertheless, the strength of their association with glycemic control varies across different populations. The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between dietary adherence and physical activity with blood glucose control in overweight and obese patients diagnosed with T2DM in the outpatient setting.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among overweight and obese patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) attending the outpatient diabetis clinic at RSUP Kandou. A total of 50 participants were recruited through a consecutive sampling technique. Dietary adherence was measured using the Perceived Dietary Adherence Questionnaire (PDAQ), while physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Glycemic control was evaluated based on HbA1c levels. Data analysis included Pearson correlation for bivariate analysis, and the IPAQ variable was examined using Spearman’s correlation. Additionally, multiple linear regression was employed for multivariate analysis, with HbA1c serving as the dependent variable.

Results: A total of 50 participants were analyzed, with a mean age of 48.06 ± 7.19 years. The average body mass index (BMI) was 30.93 ± 3.34 kg/m², and the mean HbA1c level was 9.13 ± 2.17%. The majority of participants demonstrated a moderate level of physical activity (48%) and were non-adherent to dietary recommendations (72%).

Bivariate analysis revealed no significant correlation between dietary adherence and HbA1c (r = -0.058, p = 0.687), nor between BMI and HbA1c (p = 0.195). However, multivariate analysis indicated that physical activity was significantly and independently associated with HbA1c levels (p = 0.041). The overall model accounted for 12.6% of the variance in HbA1c (R² = 0.126).

Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that physical activity levels are independently and significantly associated with HbA1c levels, although the overall predictive model remains limited in its explanatory power. Glycemic control among the participants was not significantly associated with dietary adherence or BMI. Further research is warranted to elucidate the relationships between dietary adherence, physical activity, and BMI with HbA1c in patients with obesity and diverse HbA1c profiles.