Physical activity and moving more for health

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Exercise Physiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a major global health concern with rising incidence.
• Physical activity offers significant benefits for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, respiratory conditions, and cognitive/mental health.
• Sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor, particularly detrimental for hospitalized patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the benefits of physical activity across various health conditions and patient populations.
• To identify barriers to physical activity engagement for both clinicians and patients.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of different intervention strategies for increasing physical activity levels.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing evidence on physical activity and health outcomes.
• Analysis of factors influencing patient and clinician engagement in physical activity.
• Evaluation of intervention effectiveness, comparing different modalities (e.g., face-to-face vs. remote, behavioral vs. cognitive).

Main Results:

• Physical activity improves quality of life and outcomes in certain cancers (colon, prostate, breast) and reduces mortality.
• Mechanisms of benefit include anti-inflammatory effects and improved physiological responses to stress.
• Barriers to physical activity are multifactorial, involving clinician awareness and patient-specific life, socioeconomic, and cultural factors.
• Interventions show short- to medium-term effectiveness, with face-to-face and behavioral approaches being more impactful.

Conclusions:

• Physical activity is crucial for managing NCDs and improving cancer patient outcomes.
• Addressing clinician and patient barriers is essential for successful physical activity interventions.
• Effective interventions exist, but there is a critical need for specific physical activity guidelines for hospitalized patients.