Co-designed workplace resistance exercise training to improve metabolic and musculoskeletal health in office workers with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, A mixed-methods formative evaluation study.

AIMS: This mixed method study aimed to co-design a feasible, evidence-informed, and stakeholder-endorsed workplace-based resistance exercise (RE) intervention.

METHODS

Following a systematic review based informed pool of RE and their dose, a 12-member multidisciplinary expert panel and end-user office workers with T2DM participated in a two-round consensus process. A two-round survey was conducted to inform quantitative suitability of RE exercise and concurrently qualitative focus group discussions were administered to capture operational barriers, facilitators, and behavioral modification parameters.

RESULTS

Seventeen RE's were systematically identified from the contemporary literature. Twelve exercises met the predefined numeric consensus threshold, while five were excluded (I-CVI < 0.80). Finally, 7 RE's achieved a high final content validity score (I-CVI = 0.869). The final co-designed intervention prescribes following dose, 3  days per week across 3 brief workday micro-sessions (10-15-minute morning, 10-15-minute postprandial lunchtime, and 10-15-minute late afternoon. Qualitative analysis synthesized data across seven distinct operational themes, prescription, challenges, behavioral factors, social support, personal factors, general and occupational health considerations.

CONCLUSIONS

A feasible, accessible, context specific and stakeholder-validated workplace RE program was developed for desk-bound workers with T2DM. Long-term tracking of specific glycemic fluctuations and musculoskeletal adaptive capabilities will be formally evaluated in upcoming clinical trials.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Registry-India (CTRI/2025/08/092670).