Effects of Structured lifestyle Modification on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Several clinical trials have shown that lifestyle modifications lower blood pressure, affect weight as well as lipid profile and lower risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The study assessed the effect of structured lifestyle modification on cardiovascular risk factors amongst type 2 diabetic patients that attend the General Outpatient Clinic (GOPC) of Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). The study was a randomized controlled trial on 352 participants at the GOPC of JUTH, from October 2015 to February 2016. The intervention offered was counselling on structured lifestyle modification in diet and exercise for a period of 12 weeks. The primary outcome measures were changes in blood pressure, weight and lipid profile. The data were analyzed using Epi Info version 3.5.3. There were significant differences between groups in favor of the intervention group; mean systolic blood pressure of -65 mmHg (t = 5.344; p = 0.017) and mean weight of -1.78kg (t = 2.452; p = 0.015). Structured lifestyle modification caused significant improvement on modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus attending the general outpatient clinic of the Jos University Teaching Hospital.