Diabetes mellitus is a common disease worldwide that affects individuals through physical complications and associated mental health challenges. Physical inactivity among adults with type 2 diabetes is a major public health concern, as it negatively impacts patients' quality of life, especially when they are unable to manage their condition appropriately.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D)-among the leading causes of death and poor quality of life (QoL) in the UK and Saudi Arabia-has two major risk factors: diet and physical activity. The current study will evaluate the efficacy of a walking intervention to improve quality of life of adults with type 2 diabetes in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. A secondary objective is to determine whether the efficacy of the walking intervention differs between populations with type 2 diabetes in the UK and Saudi Arabia.
Participants in the intervention group will be required to complete a 30-minute walk five days a week for 12 weeks. All participants in this study will be required to wear smartwatches or fitness trackers, which will be given to them for free. There will be no direct access to participants' device data for this study; rather, participants will report the data via an online link. Participants, both in the intervention group and in the control group, will be informed of what the study seeks to achieve. In this case, it examines the role of physical activity in health outcomes and quality of life among individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The experimental group will be given specific instructions to follow for 12 weeks about physical activity. In contrast, the control group will be asked to continue their physical activity as normal for 12 weeks.
The participants will need to have an online screening meeting with the researcher. This will allow the investigator to check whether the participants meet the inclusion criteria. At the screening, participants will complete an online survey that will take approximately 10-15 minutes. The questions will be related to various experiences, physical activity, habitual diet, and feelings associated with diabetes. At the end of the screening session, if participants agree to take part in this study, they will be asked to electronically sign a consent form. Once the screening session is completed, participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: the experimental group or the control group.
Assessment will be done via a 30 minute online session at the beginning and end of the 12 week period to measure the following variables: height and weight, blood glucose, physical activity level, anxiety, depression, quality of life, and memory function. A fitness tracker acti-watch will be used to track the physical activity of participants. This will be provided to participants free of charge. Participants will be asked to report their total number of steps each week via an online link provided by the researcher on a weekly basis.
Two versions of all research materials will be created (English and Arabic). To ensure reliability, all the Arabic versions of the questionnaires have been independently validated and published elsewhere.
