Association Between Physical Activity and Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Among Older Adults in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Context: Type 2 diabetes is a growing public health problem worldwide, causing a high number of premature mortalities, especially among older adults. Aim: To understand the association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among older adults. Materials and Methods: A multistage probability sampling technique was used to recruit 400 older adults (age =68.8 ± 6.5 years; male =68.8%) from their households in Maiduguri. Weekly minutes of MVPA were evaluated using the Hausa International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short form, and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was measured using the validated Finnish Diabetes Risk Score Questionnaire. Adjusted linear regression analysis explores associations between MVPA and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Results: It was found that 18.4% of the participants were obese, and 14.5% had a high and very high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. After adjusting for confounding variables (age, gender, BMI, and level of education), MVPA was associated with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (β = -1.75, P = 0.01). There was significant interaction with gender, with protective effect found only in male older adults (β = -2.59, P = 0.01) and not among female Older adults (β =0.54, P = 0.61). Conclusions: Our data suggest that higher levels of MVPA are associated with a lower risk of developing future type 2 diabetes in a population of older adults in Nigeria, especially among men. A future longitudinal study, with a diverse large sample size and more objective measures, is needed to further determine the generalization of the findings observed.