Individuals are willing to change their unhealthy lifestyle habits after they have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a new study has suggested.
After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, people are often advised to follow a healthy diet, exercise more and take medication.
A total of 67 individuals with type 2 diabetes from the UK and the Netherlands took part in the study by filling in a virtual questionnaire.
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More than 50% of the participants were treating their type 2 diabetes with the medicine metformin.
The results have shown that 50% of the participants wanted to engage in all three approaches to manage their condition.
Meanwhile, 6% of the participants refused all three treatment recommendations, the study has reported.
A healthy diet was favoured more amongst the participants from the Netherlands compared to those from the UK, the findings have shown.
However, the individuals who were both willing and unwilling did recognise the benefits of a healthy diet for helping them to manage their weight and blood glucose levels.
Individuals who were unwilling to exercise often came up with excuses, such as difficulty sticking to it when away from home or when in hot climates.
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In addition, the participants were more likely to exercise if they had a companion to work out with.
The authors said: “Most of the recently diagnosed people not willing to manage type 2 diabetes with medication were willing to engage in healthy eating or physical activity.
“Nonetheless, a substantial proportion was not willing to engage in both healthy eating and physical activity.”
The research was published in the journal Primary Care Diabetes.
