Physical Activity Assessment and Promotion in Clinical Settings in the United States: A Scoping Review

The purpose of this scoping review was to systematically examine interventions that focused on physical activity assessment and promotion in clinical settings in the United States.

A literature search was performed in 6 major databases to extract published peer-reviewed studies from 2008 to 2019.

Interventions with practicing health professionals in the United States who performed physical activity assessment and promotion with adult patients 18 years of age and older. Studies were excluded if they were published in non-English, observational or case study designs, or gray literature.

Studies were screened and coded based on the population, intervention, comparison, outcomes and study setting for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework. Of 654 studies that were identified and screened for eligibility, 78 met eligibility criteria and were independently coded by two coders.

Data were synthesized using qualitative and descriptive methods.

Forty-three of the included studies were randomized controlled trials with a majority being delivered by physicians and nurses in primary care settings. Fifty-six studies reported statistically significant findings in outcome measures such as anthropometrics and chronic disease risk factors, with 17 demonstrating improvements in physical activity levels as a result of the interventions.

The assessment and promotion of physical activity in clinical settings appears to be effective but warrants continued research.