Bayu Begashaw Bekele1, Md Dilshad Manzar2, Mazen Alqahtani3, Seithikurippu R Pandi-Perumal4. 1. Public Health Department, College of Health Sciences, Mizan-Tepi University, 260, Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia; Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, 4028, Hungary. Electronic address: baybeg121@gmail.com. 2. Department of Nursing, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, 11952, Saudi Arabia. 3. Department of Physiotherapy, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Majmaah, 11952, Saudi Arabia. 4. Somnogen Canada Inc., College Street, Toronto, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing worldwide, and there is growing appreciation for the impact of limited physical activity on the disease. This study aimed to determine whether the current research on DM in Ethiopia has sufficiently identified and focused on the importance of limited physical activity according to the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) in the disease etiology. METHODS: This was a systematic review, performed according to the PRISMA checklist. We searched primary studies of diabetes, diabetes-related complications, determinants, and magnitude of related morbidities in Ethiopia in PubMed, Medline, and ISI Web of Science databases. Reviews, editorial communications, reports, and letters were excluded. RESULTS: Among 363 articles that were identified from all databases, 28 were included. It was found that 39% of the studies measured and included limited physical activity as a predisposing lifestyle factor in diabetes, while 17.86% either did not report or did not include this variable at all. Although 42.86% of the studies identified limited physical activity as an etiological factor in diabetes, it was not measured according to the GPAQ guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that Ethiopian researchers do not give sufficient attention to the role of physical activity and its definition per GPAQ as a preventative factor for reducing the severity of diabetes symptoms. We suggest that physical activity research and promotion should be advocated in Ethiopia, and that researchers should seek advice on how to re-frame their work in the future.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing worldwide, and there is growing appreciation for the impact of limited physical activity on the disease. This study aimed to determine whether the current research on DM in Ethiopia has sufficiently identified and focused on the importance of limited physical activity according to the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) in the disease etiology. METHODS: This was a systematic review, performed according to the PRISMA checklist. We searched primary studies of diabetes, diabetes-related complications, determinants, and magnitude of related morbidities in Ethiopia in PubMed, Medline, and ISI Web of Science databases. Reviews, editorial communications, reports, and letters were excluded. RESULTS: Among 363 articles that were identified from all databases, 28 were included. It was found that 39% of the studies measured and included limited physical activity as a predisposing lifestyle factor in diabetes, while 17.86% either did not report or did not include this variable at all. Although 42.86% of the studies identified limited physical activity as an etiological factor in diabetes, it was not measured according to the GPAQ guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that Ethiopian researchers do not give sufficient attention to the role of physical activity and its definition per GPAQ as a preventative factor for reducing the severity of diabetes symptoms. We suggest that physical activity research and promotion should be advocated in Ethiopia, and that researchers should seek advice on how to re-frame their work in the future.