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Few PCPs feel prepared to discuss physical activity with patients with disabilities

Slightly more than one-third of primary care providers felt prepared to recommend physical activity to their adult patients with disabilities, according to findings recently published in Preventing Chronic Disease.

Researchers also found that PCPs are more likely to recommend physical activity to these patients on a regular basis if they feel prepared to do so.

“Understanding factors and barriers associated with preparedness can help public health practitioners develop and disseminate resources and tools that may help PCPs feel more prepared to discuss and recommend physical activity with their adult patients with disabilities,” Elizabeth A. Courtney-Long, MA, MSPH, of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the CDC told Healio Family Medicine.

Researchers analyzed responses from 1,209 PCPs participating in the 2014 DocStyles Survey regarding their level of preparedness to recommend physical activity to patients with disabilities, frequency of recommending these activities, knowledge of current guidelines and community programs or resources surrounding these activities, and barriers to discussing and recommending the activities. Demographic and practice characteristics were also gathered.

Courtney-Long and colleagues found that 36.3% of PCPs strongly agreed that they felt prepared to recommend physical activity to their patients with disabilities, and 43.3% somewhat agreed that they felt prepared to do so. In addition, PCPs who strongly agreed (adjusted prevalence ratio =1.74; 95% CI, 1.44–2.09) or somewhat agreed (adjusted prevalence ratio = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.22–1.65) that they felt prepared were more likely to recommend physical activity at most visits vs. those who disagreed or felt neutral. Significant trends were also found between preparedness and PCP age (P = .001) and number of patients with disabilities seen each week (P < .001). Barriers included the mindsets that patients with disabilities were not interested in or not able to participate in physical activities or had other immediate health needs.

“Prior studies found that adults with disabilities are more likely to be physically inactive than those without disabilities. Nearly half of adults with disabilities who are able to participate in physical activity don’t get any,” Courtney-Long said in the interview. “PCPs are in a key position to influence physical activity participation among their adult patients with disabilities.”

She suggested clinicians consult the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability’s Physician Toolkit; Exercise is Medicine website; and CDC’s ‘Increasing Physical Activity Among Adults with Disabilities’ webpage to better prepare themselves for these discussions. – by Janel Miller

Disclosures: Healio Family Medicine was unable to determine the authors’ relevant financial disclosures prior to publication.