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. 2025 Jun 16;17(6):e86146.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.86146. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Type of Exercise and Factors Contributing to Exercise Adherence Among Diabetes Patients in Saudi Arabia

Tameem A Alhomaid  1 , Khalid A Alkhalifah  2 , Abdullah S Aljudayi  2 , Omar A Alharbi  2 , Asim A Aladwan  2 , Fahad A Alresheedi  2
Affiliations

Type of Exercise and Factors Contributing to Exercise Adherence Among Diabetes Patients in Saudi Arabia

Tameem A Alhomaid et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Aim and background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) management guidelines are continuously updated to reflect emerging evidence and changes in patient lifestyles. Physical activity is considered essential to achieving adequate blood glucose control. The study aims to evaluate the level of exercise adherence among diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia and the factors that affect adherence. Method: This was an observational cross-sectional study; the data collection tool included a questionnaire distributed across healthcare centers in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire included a socio-demographic section, medical history of diabetes, exercise knowledge and awareness, and factors affecting exercise adherence. Participants included were 18 years or older, diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and had documented HbA1c levels. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 24 (Released 2016; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) was used for data analysis. The result was considered statistically significant if p-value<0.05.

Results: Out of 1400 participants, 60.2% (n=843) were female and 39.8% (n=557) were male. (31%) reported engaging in regular exercise more than 150 minutes per week. Walking (45%), resistance training (30%), and cycling (25%) were the most common activities. Exercise-adherent individuals had better glycemic control levels compared to non-adherents (P-value 0.001). Empowering factors were social support and access to resources, while time constraints and health limitations were major barriers to achieving adherence. Conclusion: The study shows a low level of adherence among participants. Walking is the most preferred exercise. The younger population was more adherent to exercise. The study underscores the importance of addressing barriers and enhancing support systems to improve exercise adherence among diabetic patients in Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: diabetes mellitus; exercise adherence; patient adherence; physical exercise; saudi arabia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Informed consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Regional Research Ethics Committee, General Directorate of Health Affairs, Al-Qassim Province issued approval 607/45/14991. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Exercise adherence level among participants (N=1400)
Figure 2
Figure 2. Favored type of exercise among participants (N=1400)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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