Abstract:
Background: In the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, nonadherence to the recommended physical exercise for
diabetic patients is a difficult issue. Regular physical exercise is critical for reducing further complications of
diabetes mellitus and the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of type
2 adult diabetes patients’ exercise recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 576 diabetes mellitus patients from
August 1, 2020, to September 28, 2020. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study
participants. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Frequency tables and
percentages were used to explain the study variables. A binary logistic regression was used to investigate the
relationship between the dependent and independent variables.
Result: A total of 576 diabetes mellitus patients participated in the study, with a response rate of 99.3%. The
overall prevalence of exercise adherence was 26.4%, whereas 73.6% were non-adherents to exercise recommendations. Rural residency (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.16–3.27) and COVID-19 related knowledge (AOR = 9.95,
95% CI: 41.14–5.24) were both strongly associated with exercise recommendations.
Conclusion: In this study, only one-fourth of patients had exercised adherence during the era of the COVID-19
pandemic. Knowledge about COVID-19 was one of the factors that was strongly associated with adherence to
exercise recommendations for diabetes patients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, encouraging home-based exercises can improve adherence to exercise recommendation
