Does primary care referral to an exercise programme increase physical activity one year later? A randomized controlled trial

To assess the effectiveness of a primary care referral scheme on increasing physical activity at 1 year from referral. Design Two-group randomized controlled trial recruiting primary care referrals to a borough-based exercise scheme. Setting A local authority borough in the north-west of England. Participants 545 patients defined as sedentary by a primary care practitioner. Intervention Referral to a local-authority exercise referral scheme and written information compared with written information only. Main outcome measures Meeting physical activity target at 12 months following referral, with a secondary outcome measured at 6 months from referral.