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Related Experiment Videos

How general practitioners promote 'lifestyle' physical activity.

J McKenna1, M Vernon

  • 1Department of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TP, UK. jim.mckenna@bristol.ac.uk

Patient Education and Counseling
|June 24, 2004
PubMed
Summary

General Practitioners (GPs) can effectively promote physical activity (PA) by tailoring advice to patient readiness. Stage-matched strategies, like follow-ups for pre-contemplators, significantly increase PA promotion by GPs.

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Area of Science:

  • General Practice
  • Public Health
  • Behavioral Medicine

Background:

  • Promoting lifestyle physical activity (PA) is crucial for public health.
  • General Practitioners (GPs) play a key role in advising patients on PA.
  • Understanding how GPs tailor PA promotion to patient readiness is important.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how GPs promote physical activity (PA30 x 5) to patients at different stages of change.
  • To identify specific counselling strategies that predict regular PA promotion by GPs.

Main Methods:

  • A postal questionnaire was distributed to GPs in a UK health district (68% return rate).
  • Data were analyzed using stepwise logistic regression to identify predictors of regular PA promotion.
  • Counselling strategies included the six 'A' factors: Ask, Assess, Advise, Assure, Arrange follow-up, and Applaud.

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Main Results:

  • 47% of GPs reported regularly promoting PA30 x 5 (30 min moderate PA, 5+ days/week).
  • Key predictors for regular PA promotion included: arranging follow-ups for pre-contemplators (OR=4.93), referral to exercise schemes for contemplators (OR=2.34), and inquiring about PA with relapsers (OR=2.61).
  • GPs promoting PA regularly used 'effortful', 'stage-matched' approaches based on patient behavior.

Conclusions:

  • GPs' regular promotion of PA30 x 5 is associated with stage-matched counselling strategies.
  • These findings suggest that in-service training focusing on these three key strategies could enhance GP effectiveness in promoting physical activity.
  • Tailoring interventions to patient stages of change is an effective approach for GPs to promote lifestyle physical activity.