Abstract:

Physical activity is a well-established preventive measure against diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The increasing elderly population and changes in lifestyle behaviors have led to a higher prevalence of diabetes among older adults. Although community-based health education has shown promise in enhancing maternal and child health outcomes, its effectiveness in promoting physical activity adherence among pre-diabetic older adults remains underexplored in Nigeria. This study assessed the impact of a community-based health education program on adherence to physical activities among pre-diabetic older adults in selected LGAs in Ogun State, Nigeria. Methodology: A quasi-experimental design was employed. From a population of 1,005 pre-diabetic older adults, 60 participants were selected using power analysis, with 30 participants each assigned to the Experimental Group (EG) and Control Group (CG). The EG received two-hour health education sessions twice weekly for four weeks focusing on physical activity, while the CG received two-hour weekly sessions on personal hygiene. A structured and validated questionnaire with Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients ranging between 0.71 and 0.80 was used for data collection at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 12th-week follow-up. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics at a 5% level of significance. Results: At baseline, adherence scores were low for both groups, with EG scoring 15.03 ± 1.50 and CG scoring 14.85 ± 1.54. By the 12th-week follow-up, the EG showed a significant improvement in adherence to physical activities with a mean score of 42.27 ± 11.51, compared to 14.50 ± 1.48 in the CG. Knowledge and perception scores also improved significantly in the EG compared to the CG. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) at post-intervention phases, demonstrating that the health education intervention substantially enhanced adherence, knowledge, and perception of physical activities among pre-diabetic older adults in the experimental group. Conclusion: The community-based health education program significantly improved adherence to physical activities, knowledge, and perception among pre-diabetic older adults in selected LGAs in Ogun State. These findings underscore the importance of integrating structured physical activity education into community health programs targeting older adults to prevent the progression of pre-diabetes to Type 2 diabetes mellitus.