ST. LOUIS, May 12 (UPI) -- Diabetics are more likely to exercise if their doctors help them create and stick to a formalized plan, research shows.
Physician advice alone won't get the job done, says the St. Louis University report in the May issue of "Diabetes Care."
"However, when a physician helped to make a plan for physical activity or followed up on the plan, we saw more physical activity," says Anjali Deshpande,lead author on the study.
The physical environment in a patient's home town also appeared to influence whether a person with diabetes exercised, Deshpande found.
Those who were physically active reported shorter walking times to parks, recreation centers, walking trails, schools and fitness clubs than did those who were not active.
The physically active group said they were more likely than those who were not active to take advantage of community facilities that encourage exercise, such as recreation centers, health clubs, walking trails, schools and parks.
