Rebound exercise: A beneficial adjuvant for sedentary non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetic individuals in a rural environment.

Objective: Although physical activity and exercises are recommended for diabetes, fear of fatigue and resources are often constraints. Rebound exercise on a mini trampoline is a relatively new aerobic exercise and this study evaluated its impact on glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c ), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and body mass index (BMI) for sedentary type 2 diabetic (T2D) individuals from a rural environment.

Design/setting: A randomised controlled single-blind, pre- and post-test study in an outreach rural rehabilitation gymnasium.

Participants And Intervention: Ninety T2D individuals from rural Nigeria aged 39.44 ± 8.61 attending a diabetic outpatient clinic participated in this study as a control (n = 45) or rebound exercise (n = 45) group. The control group watched videos and read health magazines while the rebound group exercised three times per week for 20-30 min over 9 weeks at moderate intensity of 40-60% of heart rate maximum.

Outcome Measures: Heart and respiratory rates, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, HbA1c , FPG and BMI values were recorded pre- and post-interventions.

Results: There were no significant differences between groups at baseline and compliance with rebound exercise was 93% (n = 42). Post 9 weeks there were significant improvements (P < 0.05) in mean HbA1c (8.65 to 7.12%), FPG (9.08 to 6.92 mmol L(-1)) and BMI (26.1 to 25.6 kg m(-2)) in the exercise group with blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates also increasing during the exercise but without any adverse reactions.

Conclusion: Rebound exercise is simple, inexpensive and enjoyable. It can be a beneficial recreational adjuvant exercise for improving HbA1c , FPG and BMI in T2D individuals in a rural environment and reduce health care costs and pharmacological complications associated with diabetes.