The aim of this study was to report the physical activity patterns which characterize individuals with type 2 diabetes. For that purpose, 2,240 participants from the multicentre Look AHEAD study were enrolled and underwent physical activity (PA) measurement using accelerometry. Results showed that 71% of subjects had at least one activity bout that met the ≥3 METs and ≥10 minutes in duration criteria (moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA [MVPA]) whereas 26% meet the ≥6 METs and ≥10 minutes in duration (vigorous-intensity PA [VPA]). Self-reported PA was negatively associated with body mass index, was greater in men than women, was lowest in African-Americans/Blacks and was positively associated with fitness. Multivariate analyses on the basis of accelerometry data for MVPA and VPA were performed. For MVPA, bouts per day were significantly higher in men than in women and were positively associated with fitness. METs per minute were significantly higher in women than in men and were positively associated with fitness. Moreover, for VPA, bouts per day were positively associated with age and fitness and differed by race/ethnicity. METs per minute were negatively associated with body mass index, were lower in women than in men and were positively associated with fitness. These results suggest that fitness, sex and race/ethnicity appear to be factors to consider when developing physical activity intervention programs in a population with type 2 diabetes.
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