Changes in diabetes screening and exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic in adults with prediabetes
Authors' conclusion
The shelter-in-place was associated with an abrupt decrease in T2DM screening and exercise among adults with prediabetes. Future mandates should support high-risk populations, especially Medicaid, to maintain T2DM screening and exercise to prevent T2DM progression.
Study context
- Population
- Adults aged ≥18–89 years with prediabetes and BMI ≥25 (≥23 if Asian), Kaiser Permanente Northern California, January 2019 to December 2021
- Participants
- 578,585 adults
- Exposure
- COVID-19 shelter-in-place vs pre-COVID period
- Outcome
- Weekly T2D screening rates and mean exercise minutes
Methodological detailsinterrupted time-series analyses, Analyses performed in 2023-2024
- Interrupted time-series analyses
- Analyses performed in 2023-2024
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
shelter-in-place (March 19, 2020, to June 1, 2020)
- Pre-COVID T2D screening
- 121/10,000 patients/week
- Pre-COVID exercise
- 107 min/week
- Initial drop in screening
- by ∼ 96 %
- Subsequent increase in screening during shelter-in-place
- 7.4 (95 % CI: 2.4-12.4, p-value 0.004)/10,000 patients/week
- Initial decrease in exercise
- 37 (29-45, p-value < 0.001) minutes/week
- Subsequent increase in exercise during shelter-in-place
- 3.5 (1.7-5.4, p-value < 0.001) minutes/week
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
- Time for Medicaid patients to resume baseline exercise levels
- 1.5 years
- Patterns similar across racial/ethnic groups
Original publication
Changes in diabetes screening and exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic in adults with prediabetes. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. Published 21 April 2025. doi:10.
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