Background: Physical activity (PA) is associated with reduced morbidity and mortality in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, most T2DM adults are insufficiently active.
Purpose: To explore the effectiveness of two innovative/theoretically based behavioral-change strategies to increase PA and reduce hemoglobin A1c (A1c) in T2DM adults.
Methods: Participants (n = 287) were randomly assigned to a control group or an intervention group (i.e., print-based materials/pedometer group or print-based materials/pedometer plus telephone-counseling group). Changes in PA and A1c and other clinical measures were examined by Linear Mixed Model analyses over 18 months, along with moderating effects for gender and age.
Results: PA and A1c levels did not significantly change in intervention groups. Step counts significantly increased in the print-based materials and pedometer plus telephone counseling group, for women.
Conclusions: No significant effects were found for PA or A1c levels for T2DM adults. The multi-component strategy including telephone counseling may have potential for women. The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00221234.