Determinants of Readiness for Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Among Indigenous Adolescents with Type 2 Diabetes in Manitoba, Canada: A Cross‐Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether the readiness for adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors was associated with mental health and comorbid conditions in youth with T2D. METHODS: A cross-sectional comparison of various measures of mental health (distress, stress, resilience) and comorbid conditions (glycated hemoglobin, adiposity, hypertension) was conducted within a cohort of indigenous youth with T2D living in Canada, stratified according to their readiness to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors based on Prochaska's transtheoretical model. RESULTS: Within the entire cohort (n = 162), only 14% were considered ready to adopt all healthy lifestyle behaviors. The readiness to adopt all lifestyle behaviors was associated with higher positive mental health (47 vs. 39 units; P < 0.05) and sense of mastery (40 vs. 37 units; P < 0.05), lower perceived stress (27 vs. 29 units; P < 0.05) and distress (8 vs. 10 units; P < 0.05), and better glycemic control (HbA1c: 8.4 ± 2.6% vs. 9.7 ± 2.8%; P < 0.05) compared with youth who were not ready to adopt all lifestyle behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The readiness for adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors is low among adolescents with T2D. Being ready to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors is associated with better mental health and glycemic control.