Physical activity in persons with diabetes: its relationship with media use for health information, socioeconomic status and age

Abstract Although low socio-economic status (SES) persons with diabetes show low levels of physical activity (PA), there is limited knowledge regarding which media is effective in improving their PA. This study aimed to determine the appropriate media for providing PA-related information to persons with diabetes in low SES compared with those in high SES. The data of 770 persons with diabetes in low or high SES were extracted from Multimedia Audience Research Systems 2013, a nationwide cross-sectional study. The relationships among media use for health information (i.e. magazine, television and Internet use), PA, and high and low SES were examined using regression analysis. Additional analysis was conducted to examine whether the above relationships differ by age, which influences the use of media. The relationships of media use for health information with PA levels varied by SES; while television use was associated with increased PA levels, Internet use was associated with decreased PA levels in older, low SES persons with diabetes. The findings indicated that television can be a useful resource to provide PA-related information to low SES persons with diabetes and suggest the significance of choosing appropriate media to provide PA-related information for them.