Feasibility of a 12 weeks supervised exercise training intervention among people with Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) or type 2 diabetes in Greenland

Abstract

Preventing and managing Type 2 diabetes (T2D) involves adopting healthy lifestyle habits such as balanced nutrition and regular exercise. Maturity Onset Diabetes of The Young (MODY) shares diagnostic characteristics with T2D, but exercise responses in MODY remain unclear. In Greenland, MODY is 4-5 times more common than in other countries. No established exercise regimen exists for either T2D or MODY in Greenland. This study assessed the feasibility of a 12-week supervised exercise programme for MODY and T2D in Greenland, focusing on attendance, satisfaction, and effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and quality of life (QoL). Conducted as an experimental, two-armed, controlled trial, nine participants (4 with MODY) engaged in prescribed training sessions twice weekly for 45-60 minutes, while another nine (4 with MODY) formed the control group. Key outcomes included adherence rates, satisfaction levels, changes in HbA1c, body composition, aerobic fitness, blood pressure, CVD risk factors, and SF-12 scores. Although training adherence was modest at 56%, participant satisfaction remained high. Notable findings included a slight decrease of -0.3 mmol/l in HDL-cholesterol and a 5.7-point increase in the mental component (MCS) of SF-12 within the intervention group. However, the study underscores the need to refine the study design before supervised exercise programmes can be widely implemented in clinical settings in Greenland.

Keywords: Greenland; MODY; Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young; Type 2 diabetes; exercise training; intervention.

Figure 1.

Graphic overview of the exercise training programme. Phase 1 are week 1- 4, phase 2 week 5-8, and phase 3 week 9-12. (A) indicates aerobe training, (R) resistance training, (C) combined training, and (AI) aerobic interval training. Mean exercise intensity (borg-scale [bs] for (A) and work/pause ratio [w/p] for (R)).

Figure 2.

CONSORT flowchart. We filled the intervention group with T2D patients for the remaining five spots and selected five others to match with the control group (requirements: same sex, ±3 years of age, ±5 mmol/mol in HbA1c level). There is no record of how many T2D patients were contacted by phone or in the clinic.

Figure 3.

Attendance (%) on the y-axis and time (weeks) on the x-axis.

Figure 4.

The overall RPE and Borg scale for training sessions. (RPE) rate of perceived exertion, (all) RPE/Borg scale for all participants, (MODY) RPE/Borg scale for MODY, (T2D) RPE/Borg scale for T2D. The box whisker plots: (X) the X indicate the mean RPE/Borg scale. Error bars represent participants perceived maximum RPE/Borg scale. The box whisker plots are based on a very small data set; therefore, there are no error bars in some of the figures as the minimum and highest value is the same.

Figure 5.

Bar-chart with domains from the questionnaire on the x-axis, and numbers of satisfied participants (N) on the y-axis.