To promote optimal healthcare delivery in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) following the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019, adopting home-based physical activity (PA) is being seriously considered. Therefore, this study aims to outline the characteristics of exercise protocols for home-based PA and the challenges and limitations in implementing home-based PA in patients with T2DM. This scoping review was carried out by identifying eligible studies in six different databases (Scopus, Cochrane Library, SpringerLink, ProQuest, Science Direct, and Google Scholar). The keywords used in the search strategies were: home-based physical activity, home-based exercise therapy, home-based physical exercise, home-based exercise, home-based exercise training, diabetes mellitus, and T2DM. Two reviewers independently screened all full-text articles to find articles that met the eligibility requirements. A total of 443 articles were identified in the search. Approximately 342 articles were excluded by screening titles and abstracts, which led to the selection of 44 articles relevant to the current study. Further screening of the full-text led to the subsequent removal of 34 other articles, leading to 10 studies that were eligible for data extraction. This review suggested that the exercise protocols for home-based PA include resistance exercise using free weight and own body weight with a frequency of two to three sessions per week at moderate intensity, along with aerobic exercise (particularly walking) with a frequency of three to five times per week at moderate intensity. A combination of resistance and aerobic exercise showed more significant benefits of PA in patients with T2DM. More studies regarding home-based PA in T2DM patients with metabolic disorders are warranted.

Introduction: Conversating during walking is an everyday multitask activity, if compromised may lead to gait instability or a fall. This study aims to examine the dual tasking effects of conversating while walking on gait performance conducted in a virtual reality environment. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited thirty healthy individuals (27.3 ± 5.7 years, 23 males) through a purposive sampling method. They completed two sessions of three-minute tasks on an instrumented dual-belt treadmill: silent walking (ST) and conversational dual-tasking (DTC) in a Real-Time Gait Analysis Lab, Cardiff University. The gait speed, stride length, and step width between ST and DTC were compared using a two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA), with a p-value of 0.05. Results: The results of this study showed a significant (Cond x phase) interaction effect on gait speed, stride length, and step width (p<0.05), respectively. In contrast, no significant (Cond) main effect was found on any gait parameters (p>0.05). Conclusion: Conversating while walking may influence gait performance, possibly through the extrinsic focus of attentiveness in healthy adults.

The association between fatigue and sarcopenia is not well understood, therefore, this study aimed to compare the sarcopenia measures among elderly with mild and severe fatigue and to determine whether fatigue severity is associated with sarcopenia measures. This was a cross-sectional study conducted on201 elderly (age = 68.45±6.30 years). The elderly was classified into either mild or severe fatigue based on the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), meanwhile, sarcopenia measures include SARC-F score, muscle mass (ASM/height2), calf circumference (CC), upper (handgrip) and lower limb muscle strength, as well as physical performance (gait speed). Data were analyzed using independent t-tests and logistic regression. The results showed that elderly with severe fatigue were significantly older, with lower muscle strength, and slower gait speed (all p-value <0.05). After adjusting for age, fatigue severity remained significantly associated with SARC-F score (OR = 1.583, 95% CI = 1.262-1.986, p-value = 0.001) and CC (OR = 1.103, 95% CI = 1.014-1.200, p-value = 0.022). Moreover,when the SARC-F score was removed from the regression model, fatigue severity was significantly associated with CC (OR = 1.088, 95% CI = 1.006-1.178, p-value = 0.036) and gait speed (OR = 0.011, 95% CI = 0.001-0.168, p-value = 0.001). Based on the results, fatigue severity is associated with SARC-F score, CC, and gait speed, therefore, interventions targeted at sarcopenia measures is recommended to optimize physical endurance in the elderly.

Introduction: Physiotherapy profession requires a reasonably high level of physical fitness. This is due to their nature of job requiring them to do a lot of lifting and transferring of patients, use the extremities to give support and resistance during assessment and treatment, and prescribing exercise not only to patients but also to fit athletes. However, lack of attention was given to the physical fitness of physiotherapy students. The objective was to determine the level of physical fitness among physiotherapy students attending public universities in Malaysia. Methods: Each participant performed six physical fitness tests reflecting the four components of physical fitness. The Tanita-BC730G BIA was used to examine body composition. Push up and curl-up, shoulder scratch and back saver sits and reach (BSSR) and three-min step tests were used to determine muscular endurance, upper and lower limb flexibility and cardiorespiratory endurance, respectively. The scores were then categorized based on the normative values of each test. Results: A total of 261 participants completed all tests. For body composition, 73 (28%) participants were either overweight or obese. When compared to their normative values, both curl-up (17.2±11.2 reps in male and 7.1±8.7 reps in female) and heart recovery rate after the three-min step test (102±22bpm and 114±20bpm) were scored below average. For flexibility test, the BSSR was scored below average only in female (10±3.0 for right side and 11±3.1 for left vs. 12 inches). Conclusion: The level of physical fitness among physiotherapy students in public universities in Malaysia is somewhat below average.