ABSTRACT
Introduction: Physical activity is the most important self-management behaviour indiabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a short message service (SMS) basedon a health promotion model (HPM) on the physical activity of diabetic patients.Methods: This quasi-experimental study consisted of 37 type II diabetes patients in an SMSgroup and 36 type II diabetes patients in a control group. The patients in both groups completedwritten consent forms and questionnaires at the beginning of the study. The patients in the SMSgroup received training messages within two weeks (two or three messages daily) in the field ofphysical activity based on HPM constructs. Both groups completed questionnaires in three stages(at the beginning of the study, four weeks after the first visit, and three months later) comprisingdemographic factors, questions regarding the constructs, and 7-day physical activity recall. Afterdata collection, statistical analysis was conducted using an independent t-test, a Chi-square test,and a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results: As compared with the control group, changes in mean scores of perceivedself-efficacy (P = 0.001) and family support (P = 0.046) of physical activity in the training groupwere significantly greater and perceived barriers (P < 0.001) were significantly lower over time.The physical activity performance of the SMS group was better three months after training ascompared with that of the control group (P < 0.001).Conclusion: The results demonstrated the efficacy of training messages in changing thebeliefs and physical activity behaviours of diabetic patients.