Exercise on Prescription: A Cross-sectional Study With Self-reported Outcome

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Exercise Science
• Chronic Disease Management

Background:

• Exercise on Prescription (EOP) aims to boost physical activity in sedentary adults with lifestyle disease indicators.
• Limited research exists on long-term EOP effects for patients with chronic diseases across different intervention intensities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and compare long-term self-reported physical activity levels in adults with chronic diseases participating in three distinct EOP intensity modules.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 1152 former EOP participants (July 2005-May 2007) in two Danish counties.
• Physical activity was quantified by the number of days with at least 30 minutes of moderate/vigorous activity.

Main Results:

• A 75% response rate (n=854) was achieved.
• Post-EOP, 36% reported being physically active ≥5 days/week, a significant increase from 29% sedentary before EOP (P < 0.01).
• Moderate to vigorous leisure-time activity increased from 7% to 19% (P < 0.01), with no negative impact from time post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Approximately one-third of community-dwelling adults with chronic diseases maintained physical activity long-term after EOP.
• No significant differences in long-term physical activity were observed between the different EOP intervention intensities.