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Adherence to national exercise guidelines by patients attending emergency departments: A multi‐site survey
Author(s) -
Berlingeri Paul,
Cunningham Neil,
Taylor David McD,
Knott Jonathan,
McLean Daniel,
Gavan Rex,
Plant Luke,
Chen Hayley,
Weiland Tracey
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
emergency medicine australasia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.602
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1742-6723
pISSN - 1742-6731
DOI - 10.1111/1742-6723.12764
Subject(s) - medicine , confidence interval , sitting , physical activity , physical therapy , gerontology , family medicine , pathology
Objective The proportion of adults in Australia meeting or exceeding the national guidelines for physical activity has remained relatively static over the past 10 years. The research objective was to measure self‐reported physical activity and sedentary behaviour among ED patients in accordance with Australia's current physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines, revised in 2014. Methods A convenience sample of participants was recruited from three EDs in Melbourne between February and May 2016. Eligible participants were administered the International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form plus researcher‐derived questions. Participants were assessed as whether meeting the physical activity guidelines or not, using pre‐defined criteria. Results The proportion of 18–64 year olds meeting all of the physical activity guidelines was 19.0% (95% confidence interval [ CI ] 15.2–22.8). A majority of participants (63.1%, 95% CI 58.5–67.7) met the aerobic component of the guidelines although only 28.9% (95% CI 24.5–33.3) of participants reported undertaking strength building exercises two or more times per week. Adults in the oldest age group were found to be less likely to engage in muscle strengthening exercises (23.3%, n = 30) than those in the youngest age group (40.0%, n = 60, P = 0.005). Average daily sitting time (minutes) did not differ between men (median = 300) and women (median = 360, P = 0.118). Conclusions Overall adherence with physical activity guidelines is low among adults attending the ED . All adults need to be encouraged to undertake muscle strengthening activities, especially adults in older age groups.