EFFECTS OF EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS ON IMPROVEMENT IN COGNITIVE FUNCTIONALITY OF BANGLADESHI DIABETIC INDIVIDUALS

Abstract

Background: T2DM individuals are most evident as vulnerable to cognitive dysfunction, which perhaps leads to cognitive impairment associated with visual-motor disorientation. Aim: This study aims to assess the impacts of aerobic and combined exercises on the cognitive function of the T2DM participants in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Method: 66 middle-aged T2DM individuals residing in Dhaka, Bangladesh was included in the study. In this research Bender-Gestalt II test was used for the evaluation of comprehension and working memory status of T2DM population. There were 14 weeks of intervention sessions along with another 14 weeks of no intervention session to evaluate the sustainability of the intervention programs carried out with control and two differential exercise intervention groups. Two-way repeated measure of ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Results: There were statistically significant differences observed in pre-to post intervention phase (p = .000) and pre-to follow up phase (p = .000) in participants with negative mean differences relating to a higher value in the post and follow up phase respectively in comprehension and working memory score of visual-motor abilities in both aerobic and combined exercise intervention programs. Conclusions: It can be concluded that participants in the aerobic and combined exercise intervention have shown improvement in an overall improvement in comprehension and working memory status of T2DM individuals in Dhaka, Bangladesh. However, no group-wise difference was evident among the participants.