Healthy People 2000 Goal 1.12: primary care physicians and exercise counseling

The Healthy People 2000 Goal 1.12 was designed to increase to 50% the number of primary care physicians who regularly counsel their patients concerning the appropriate frequency, duration, type and intensity of exercise. To assess the overall progress in relation to this goal, a survey of 212 physicians was conducted in an eight county region of northern Mississippi. Fifty-nine physicians completed and returned the survey. The findings indicate that 90% of the physicians perceive exercise to be important and that they are discussing exercise with approximately 50% of their patients aged 40 and older. However, the average length of the counseling segment is two minutes or less. It is therefore probable that the appropriate frequency, duration, type and intensity of exercise may not be adequately discussed during physician-based exercise counseling.