Effect of 12 weeks aquatic Exercises on Diabetic and motor performance indexes and quality of life in diabetic women with heart failure

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM), as an increasing health problem worldwide, can be associated with severe cardiovascular complications. The quality of life is adversely affected by type 2 diabetes and there were proposed different methods for prevention and treatment of diabetic induced problem. The aim of this study was to investigate effect of 12 weeks of aquatic aerobic exercises on motor performance and quality of life in diabetic female patients with heart failure.

Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 36 diabetic women with heart failure referring to Tabriz Madani hospital voluntarily participated in this study and assigned to one of two groups: control(n=18) and experimental (n=18) group. Aquatic exercises were carried out under the supervision of an aquatic expert three sessions a week for 12 weeks, each session lasting 60 minutes with intensity of 4-6 in RPE Borg classification. Patients in the control group continued their normal daily living activities. Quality of life and motor performance were assessed using SF-36 questionnaire and 6 min walking test (6MWT). Blood sampling was gathered 48 h before and after training protocol for analyzing diabetic indexes such as fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin resistance, Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS-18, ANOVA 2*2 and independent T tests at the significant level α <0.05.

Results: After intervention, there were significant differences in FBS (P=0/007), HbA1c (p=0/012), 6MWT (P=0/000) and subscales of quality of life such as role limitations due to emotional problems (0/01), energy/fatigue (p=0/04), subtitle of physical health (p=0/036) and subtitle of psychological health (p=0/002) between experiment and control group.

Conclusion: The aquatic exercises, as a safe and effective exercise Method, could be helpful in improving the motor functions and quality of life of diabetic females with heart failures.