Impact of physical activity and sedentary time on glycated hemoglobin levels and body composition: Cross‐sectional study using outpatient clinical data of Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes

Aims/Introduction This study examined the association among sedentary time (ST), physical activity (PA), glycated hemoglobin and body composition in Japanese type 2 diabetes patients. Materials and Methods Patients with type 2 diabetes who visited the outpatient clinic at Kawasaki Medical School Hospital, Okayama, Japan, comprised the study’s participants. Self‐administered International Physical Activity Questionnaire short forms were obtained and analyzed for 1,053 patients, including 158 patients for whom waist circumference and visceral fat accumulation were measured. From the questionnaire, three categorical data (low, moderate, high) and continuous data (METs/h/week) regarding PA and ST (min/day), respectively, were obtained. Results The patients categorized as having low PA had significantly higher body mass index than those categorized as having high levels, after adjustment was made for confounders. Continuous data of PA were negatively associated with waist circumference and visceral fat accumulation. ST was positively associated with body mass index. After dividing the participants into four groups according to medians of ST and PA, the following categories were established: long ST and low PA, long ST but high PA, short ST but low PA and short ST and high PA. In terms of body mass index, short ST and high PA measured significantly lower than long ST and low PA. For waist circumference and visceral fat accumulation, short ST but low PA and short ST and high PA measured significantly lower than long ST and low PA and long ST but high. Conclusions These results imply that the combination of avoiding sedentary behavior and increasing PA might be important in the prevention bodyweight gain and in the avoidance of central obesity, respectively, in Japanese type 2 diabetes patients. In this study, to manage the quantity and quality of bodyweight in patients with type 2 diabetes, a primary goal should be the promotion of increased physical activity and reduced sedentary time. It is likely that the combination of seeking out physical activity and avoiding sedentary behavior is important for the management of bodyweight in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes.