Overview of Physical Activity Counseling in Primary Care

Abstract

Physical inactivity is a global health burden. Promoting physical activity in primary care through physical activity counseling is an effective intervention. This article provides an overview of and perspectives on physical activity counseling in primary care. The identification of physical inactivity as a health problem may increase the awareness of physical inactivity among patients and primary care providers, which will lead to an action plan. The contents of physical activity counseling should be based on evidence-based recommendations. Safety issues should be evaluated appropriately to optimize the utilization of primary care services. Physical activity counseling methods should be "tailored" for an individual using appropriate counseling methods and setting-specific resources. Multilevel barriers to physical activity counseling in primary care (i.e., healthcare providers, patients, and systems) must be addressed. Setting-specific strategies to overcome these barriers should be implemented to maximize the effectiveness of physical activity counseling in primary care.

What Elements of Sport and Exercise Science Should Primary Care Physicians Learn? An Interdisciplinary Discussion

“…Pre-exercise screening and the Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type (FITT) principle ( 22 ) are required knowledge for PCPs to perform PA counseling or prescription. Pre-exercise screening is used to assess an individual's readiness and safety for PA or exercise, while the FITT principle can be adopted as a framework to translate scientific and medical concepts to practice and design a tailored PA program.…”

“…One study shows that a PA-related injury over 30 days during walking, gardening, weightlifting, outdoor bicycling, and performing aerobics is 0.9 to 2.4% ( 23 ). The incidence of sudden cardiac arrest related to exercise is still low (0.6 to 2.1 per 100,000 person-years) compared with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (65.4 to 108.9 per 100,000 person-years) ( 22 ). There are several challenges faced by PCPs when providing care and PA/exercise prescriptions to patients; the two main ones are discussed in detail below.…”

Primary Health Care Providers’ Perspectives on Developing an eHealth Tool for Physical Activity Counselling: A Qualitative Study

“…[6][7][8] PA counselling should be tailored to PHC settings and service users. 7,9 However, a number of barriers to PA counselling remain, including those related to health care providers (eg lack of knowledge and skills), patients (eg insufficient time and support and personal limitations), and systems (eg time constraints and limited resources). 4,6,9,10 Several promising technologies have been introduced and utilized in PHC settings.…”

“…7,9 However, a number of barriers to PA counselling remain, including those related to health care providers (eg lack of knowledge and skills), patients (eg insufficient time and support and personal limitations), and systems (eg time constraints and limited resources). 4,6,9,10 Several promising technologies have been introduced and utilized in PHC settings. 11 Specifically, electronic health (eHealth), which is defined as "the use of information and communications technology in support of health and health-related fields", 12 has been applied for various purposes in PHC settings.…”

Challenges of Implementing an mHealth Application for Personalized Physical Activity Counselling in Primary Health Care: A Qualitative Study

“…Physical activity (PA) counselling is an intervention to promote PA in clinical settings. 1 It is considered as an effective intervention for promoting lifestyle changes in patients in primary health care (PHC). 2,3 The recent evidence showed that long-term interventions (12-month follow-up) might be more effective than shorter interventions (6-month follow-up).…”