Improved Metabolic Risk Markers Following Two 6-Month Physical Activity Programs Among Socioeconomic Marginalized Women of Native American Ancestry in Lima, Peru

It is known that ethnicity is a risk factor for diabetes. Thus, individuals of African, Latin American, and Asian descent are particularly susceptible (1). As an example, a health survey in six urban areas in Peru found a diabetes prevalence of 17% among women (2,3). It was also found that low socioeconomic status was associated with a high burden of noncommunicable diseases and appeared as an independent risk factor for diabetes. In several populations, it is known that increased physical activity reduces the risk for diabetes (4,5). Whether this applies for all populations is, however, not known. The aim of the present study was to explore if supervised endurance training is feasible among socioeconomically marginalized women of a poor urban area in Lima, Peru. The study population consisted of 142 Amerindian women. They were all examined in 1999 (6) and had a normal fasting plasma glucose concentration (range 2.8–5.6 mmol/l). Five years later, a total of 83 women participated in a follow-up examination (7). Of these, 76 consented to take part in the present training study. Mean age was 41 years (range 25–64 years). The women were randomly assigned into group A (one training session per week) or group B (three training sessions per week). No economic compensation was given besides free athlete suits …