A recent publication in Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism revealed disheartening data indicating that adults with advanced, insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (T2D) display a lack of willingness to engage in an intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI). The study, spearheaded by Cathy J. Sun, M.D., and a team from The Ottawa Hospital in Ontario, Canada, aimed to investigate the potential for ILI among T2D patients who have been on insulin treatment for at least five years and have a body mass index (BMI) ranging from 27 to 45 kg/m2.
The research implemented a 24-week ILI program, consisting of three phases: four weeks of daily negative energy balance of 800 calories, followed by four weeks of daily negative energy balance of 500 calories, and concluded with a 16-week period of daily neutral energy balance. Throughout the duration of the study, patients received medication management monitoring and had access to the study’s physician on-call.
The study revealed that out of the 555 patients screened, a mere 15.0 percent met the inclusion criteria and were contacted by research assistants. Remarkably, only 0.4 percent of patients demonstrated potential interest in participating, with reasons for refusal including concerns about the restrictive nature of the initial diet, worries about social disruption, and the necessity for multiple medication adjustments. Notably, the perceived intensity of the intervention emerged as the primary reason for their unwillingness to participate.
The authors underscored the need to establish optimal approaches to engage and support patients with insulin-treated T2D for ILI, given the profound reluctance observed in this study.
For a comprehensive understanding of the research, the study titled “The daunting task of recruiting insulin‐treated patients living with type 2 diabetes mellitus for intensive lifestyle interventions” is available in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. Furthermore, the article “Insulin-treated type 2 diabetes patients unwilling to participate in intensive lifestyle intervention, research suggests” was sourced from Medical Xpress.
This study illuminates the difficulties associated with encouraging participation in ILI programs among insulin-treated type 2 diabetes patients. It underscores the pressing need to explore alternative approaches and support methods to effectively engage this particular patient population.