Improving Physical Activity and Psychological Well-Being in Type 2 Diabetes: An Educational Intervention in Urban Primary Care

Background Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is associated with physical inactivity and psychological distress. Community-based interventions addressing both physical activity and mental health remain understudied in low-resource urban settings in India. Objectives To assess the feasibility and preliminary effects of a one-on-one educational intervention promoting physical activity on psychological well-being and self-reported physical activity levels among physically inactive T2DM patients in an urban primary health center in South India. Methods A quasi-experimental pre-post study recruited 132 physically inactive (≤ 150 minutes/week moderate-intensity activity) T2DM patients from Saraswathipuram Urban Primary Health Center, Mysuru. Participants received a single one-on-one counselling session delivered via house-to-house visits using Information, Education, and Communication materials. Psychological well-being was assessed using the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI) at baseline and 4 weeks post-intervention. Physical activity was assessed via structured questionnaire based on WHO Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) and proportional changes in outcomes were calculated. Results Following the intervention, participant-reported physical activity engagement increased markedly (p < 0.001): the proportion reporting no activity declined from 72% to 27.3%. Across all six PGWBI domains, statistically significant improvements were observed (p < 0.001). Mean PGWBI positive well-being increased from 9.20 to 11.67 (Cohen's d = 0.59), self-control from 7.90 to 9.17 (d = 0.38), general health from 9.72 to 11.26 (d = 0.54), and vitality from 10.00 to 12.20 (d = 0.85). The proportion of participants with good psychological well-being increased from 16.7% to 42.4%. Conclusions In this study, a low-cost, single-session house-based educational intervention was associated with participant-reported increases in physical activity and improvements in psychological well-being among urban T2DM patients. Results suggest feasibility for implementation in resource-limited primary health centers. Longer-term follow-up with control groups and objective outcome measures such as HbA1c, accelerometry, are required to establish durability and clinical significance.