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Dyadic associations between physical activity and body mass index in couples in which one partner has diabetes: results from the Lifelines cohort study

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Abstract

Physical activity and body mass index (BMI) are linked to the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Romantic partners influence each other’s health and the behavioral management of T2D often involves both partners. Therefore, this study examined dyadic associations between physical activity and BMI in couples in which one partner has T2D. Data came from the Lifelines cohort study. The actor–partner interdependence model was applied to cross-sectional data from 1133 couples in which only one partner had T2D. The physical activity of the person with diabetes was inversely associated with his/her partner’s BMI. However, partner physical activity was not associated with the BMI of the person with diabetes. These results suggest that people with diabetes may influence the BMI of their partners. Future research should consider how people with diabetes influence the health outcomes of their partners, which is an area that is often overlooked in the literature.

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Acknowledgements

The Lifelines Biobank initiative has been made possible by funds from FES (Fonds Economische Structuurversterking), SNN (Samenwerkingsverband Noord Nederland) and REP (Ruimtelijk Economisch Programma). The authors wish to acknowledge the services of the Lifelines cohort study, the contributing research centres delivering data to Lifelines, and all the study participants.

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Correspondence to Rachel J. Burns.

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Drs. Burns, Fillo, Deschenes and Schmitz each declare that he/she has no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Burns, R.J., Fillo, J., Deschênes, S.S. et al. Dyadic associations between physical activity and body mass index in couples in which one partner has diabetes: results from the Lifelines cohort study. J Behav Med 43, 143–149 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-019-00055-y

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