Exercício físico em uma criança diabética na primeira infância

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that occurs when there are high blood glucose levels, which may be caused by the lack of production or insufficient production of the hormone insulin. This research aims to verify the effects of one year of physical exercise on the glycemic indexes and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels of a child with DM1 and to analyze how the process of inclusion of this child in preschool occurs. The research was characterized as a case study, and the subject was a 5-year-old child with DM1. The exercise program was performed for a period of 1 year, observing the results in the glycemic variables, and the inclusion of the child in the school context was evaluated for one month. For data analysis, descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) were used. For the comparison of means between the beginning and the end of the one-year intervention, paired samples Student's t-test was used for the HbA1c and a one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test for the glycemic levels. To compare pre- and post-exercise glycemic means between the first two months and the last two months, a Wilcoxon test was used. It was concluded that a ludic exercise program helped to decrease blood glucose and HbA1c in a child with DM1. In addition, when comparing pre- and post-exercise blood glucose levels at the beginning and end of the intervention period, a significant reduction in both was observed. As for the inclusion of the child in school, it can be concluded that it was a smooth process, and both the child and the institution's multidisciplinary team were totally adapted and prepared for the specificities of DM1. The proposed physical education classes resulted in a reduction in post exercise glucose levels, contributing to the control of DM1.