Introduction

Lifestyle has emerged as an important cause of major chronic diseases, such as type-2 diabetes mellitus, because it causes chronic physiological changes that tend to worsen as individual age. The study compared the level of physical activity performed by people with type-2 diabetes mellitus in basic care and specialized unit.

Materials and Methods

Descriptive, cross-sectional study with comparative analysis. Semi-structured questionnaires and the internationally validated Physical Activity questionnaire were applied, submitted and compared through statistical analysis with Pearson's chi-square and Student's t tests.

Results

The average age of the users was 59 years, with predominance of females and those not engaging in physical activity. Glycemic values obtained by examining glycated hemoglobin were: 8.1% in a reference center and 9.6% in a basic health unit (p = 0.017), differentials of metabolic control and different care realities.

Discussion

The level of physical activity, combined with changes in lifestyle and therapeutic adherence, is a fundamental part of diabetes control and prevention of complications and should be encouraged by health professionals.

Conclusions

Better performance was noted in the level of physical activity and better glycemic control of individuals monitored at a specialized center. Health education actions should be considered within the perspective of comprehensive care in the Health Care Network, regardless of the type of service, as potential for self-monitoring and control of diabetes mellitus.

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