Abstract 100: Significant changes in exercise duration and mode, physical fitness and glycemic control among people with Type 2 Diabetes: Effect of Video-based guided exercises as part of Fitterfly Diabetes program

Background and Objective: Exercise intervention can be personalized and delivered digitally to achieve better outcomes in people with diabetes. The study aim was to analyse the effect of supervised exercise prescription delivered as part of Fitterfly diabetes digital therapeutics program in people with diabetes (PWD) after completion of the program. Method: De-identified data of 150 participants (mean age 45.29 ± 10.53 years, 39.3% females) who completed the 90-day program was analyzed. Structured virtual physiotherapy consultations and personalized exercise prescriptions were provided by physiotherapists along with expert-led care by a multidisciplinary team. Participants received access to Fitterfly mobile application for digital logging of meals and physical activity, regular follow-ups from physiotherapists to ensure adherence to the personalized prescription and for reviewing the goals to be achieved during the course of the program. Wilcoxon test was used for the statistical analysis with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: After completion of the program, significant median improvement in 6-minute walk test and total fitness score by 5.35% (p < 0.001) and 46.86% (p < 0.001) respectively was observed. Participants were categorized based on their activity levels at the beginning of the program, 26% (39/150) of participants were in the sedentary category, 55% (82/150) were in the aerobic category and 19% (29/150) were in the strength training category. After completion of the program, all the participants were following strength training as part of their exercise regimen. Median exercise duration per week in these participants improved by 180 (135,270) min, 70 (0,141.25) min and 60 (0, 142.50) min respectively. Post-program, median HbA1c reduction by -0.8 (-2.00, -0.38) % was observed, with 87.33% (131/150) of the participants showing significant HbA1c reduction. Median weight reduction was found to be -2.5 (-1.00, -4.50) kg and median waist circumference reduction was -4.00 (-7.00, -0.08) cm. Among users who started with HbA1c above recommended level (>7%), 48.39% (45/93) reduced their HbA1c in the recommended range after completion of the program. Conclusion: The study demonstrated improvement in cardiorespiratory and physical fitness, exercise duration and incorporation of strength training in the exercise regimen of the participants. Significant improvement in glycemic control and a significant reduction in body weight and waist circumference was also observed. Virtual supervised exercise guidance as a part of Fitterfly diabetes digital therapeutics program can help in improving safety and adherence to physical activity among people with T2DM for effective diabetes management.