OBJECTIVE: Both Nordic walking and Exercise on Prescription have potential as elements in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. These programs are recommended, but their effectiveness has not yet been established. The aim was to evaluate the efficacy of these 2 interventions compared with standard information on physical activity. DESIGN: Single-blinded, randomized, controlled intervention study. SETTING: Sixty-eight patients (37 men and 31 women) were randomized into 3 groups: Nordic walking (NW; n = 22), Exercise on Prescription (EP; n = 24), and control (CG; n = 22). PATIENTS: Patients were recruited from a diabetes outpatient clinic and via newspaper advertisement. INTERVENTIONS: Consisted of a 4-month intervention period followed by an 8-month follow-up, during which the participants were recommended to train on their own. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: HbA1c. RESULTS: There was no difference in HbA1c when comparing the intervention groups relative to the control group: deltaNW = -0.4% (95% confidence intervals (CI) -0.9% to 0.1%) and deltaEP = -0.2% (95% CI -0.6% to 0.2%) after 4 months; deltaNW = 0.0% (95% CI -0.6% to 0.5%) and deltaEP = 0.3% (95% CI -0.3% to 0.9%) after 12 months. However, fat mass assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) decreased significantly in the NW group after 4 months (-1.0 kg (95% CI -1.7 to 0.1)) and after 12 months in both NW (-1.8 kg (95% CI -3.2 to -0.4)) and EP (-1.5 kg (95% CI -2.9 to -0.05)) groups. No significant changes in other variables. CONCLUSIONS: Four-month exercise programs at moderate intensity of either Nordic walking or Exercise on Prescription did not significantly improve HbA1c in patients with type 2 diabetes either at the end of the program or at the follow-up.
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