Abstract: Objective To study the exercise status and glycemic control in elderly diabetic patients. Methods From January 2020 to December 2021, elderly patients with diabetes treated in a hospital in Shangqiu City were selected as the research objects, the basic information of the patients were obtained by a self‐made questionnaire. The basic information included gender, age, level of education, residence, course of disease, diabetic complications, and other underlying diseases. The exercise status was evaluated by the exercise assessment scale for elderly diabetic patients. Blood biochemical indexes were used to evaluate the compliance of glycemic control. Then, the exercise status, glycemic control and influencing factors of elderly diabetic patients were analyzed. Results A total of 1 173 subjects were included, including 645 males (54.99%), aged 60 to 84 years, mainly 60 to 69 years old (45.69%), mainly junior high school or below education level (51.66%), mainly rural residents (56.61%), the course of disease mainly less than 5 years (65.47%), 90.88% of them without diabetes complication, and 79.71% of them without other underlying diseases. The glycemic control reached the standard in 389 cases, with the rate reaching 33.16%. The total score of exercise status was (114.39±20.53). Compared with the patients who reached the glycemic standard, the total score of exercise status, exercise knowledge, exercise behavior, and professional support dimensions score of the patients who did not meet the glycemic standard were significantly lower (all P<0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the course of disease (OR=0.689), complications of diabetes (OR=0.498), and other underlying diseases (OR=0.842) were the influencing factors for the compliance of glycemic control in elderly diabetes patients. Conclusions Exercise status of elderly diabetic patients needs to be improved. Individual nursing intervention should be carried out for elderly diabetic patients with different situations. Through publicity and education, the cognition of exercise knowledge and the willingness to exercise can be improved, the exercise behavior can be improved, and the social and professional support for exercise can be enhanced, so as to promote the glycemic control.

Key words: Diabetes, Elderly, Exercise, Fasting blood glucose, 2 hours postprandial blood glucose, Glycosylated hemoglobin, Glycemic control