Adherence
A diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes acts as a 'teachable moment' that significantly accelerates smoking cessation compared to the general population, but fails to trigger positive changes in physical activity, alcohol consumption, or fruit and vegetable intake.
Getting a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis is a strong motivator to quit smoking, but it rarely changes your diet or exercise habits on its own. Do not rely on the diagnosis to fix your lifestyle. You must actively implement specific plans for nutrition and physical activity, as these habits are resistant to change without targeted intervention.
We found limited evidence that T2D diagnosis encourages behaviour change, other than a reduction in smoking.
Why this rating
Large longitudinal cohort (n=6877) with multiple time points and control groups, though self-reported data introduces bias.
Source
Health behaviour changes after type 2 diabetes diagnosis: Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Ruth A. Hackett et al. · Scientific Reports · 2018
DOI 10.1038/s41598-018-35238-1
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →