Physically active clinicians more likely to provide exercise counseling

Physically active health care providers appear to be more likely than their inactive peers to advise patients to lead an active lifestyle, according to data presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Scientific Sessions.

Researchers reviewed 24 observational studies and four interventional studies on health care providers’ physical activity and related patient counseling.

According to study results presented at the meeting, in 23 of 24 studies, physically active health care providers were significantly more likely to counsel their patients to incorporate daily physical activity into their lives. Some studies indicated that active physicians were two to five times more likely than their sedentary counterparts to recommend physical activity to their peers. Two interventions to improve physicians’ physical activity levels led to improvements in their confidence and efficacy in giving activity counseling to their patients.

Additionally, students in a medical school program to improve lifestyle habits were 56% more likely than students not in the program to provide more frequent physical activity counseling during standardized patient examinations.

“Health care providers’ own physical activity habits are an independent predictor of physical activity counseling practices. Interventions to improve health care providers’ physical activity habits have the potential to also improve health care providers’ physical activity counseling to patients,” Isabel Garcia de Quevedo, MSPH, ORISE fellow at the CDC, and colleagues concluded.

For more information:

Garcia de Quevedo I. Abstract #P420. Presented at: American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Scientific Sessions; March 19-22, 2013; New Orleans.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.