Open AccessPhysical activity recommendations from general practitioners in Australia. Results from a national survey
Author(s) -
Short Camille E.,
Hayman Mel,
Rebar Amanda L.,
Gunn Kate M.,
De Cocker Katrien,
Duncan Mitch J.,
Turnbull Deborah,
Dollman James,
van Uffelen Jannique G.Z.,
Vandelanotte Corneel
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/1753-6405.12455
Subject(s) - medicine , physical activity , sitting , family medicine , promotion (chess) , mental health , health promotion , gerontology , quality of life (healthcare) , physical therapy , public health , psychiatry , nursing , pathology , politics , political science , law
Objective : To identify subgroups of Australian adults likely to receive physical activity advice from their general practitioner and to evaluate the content of the advice provided. Methods : Participants (n=1,799), recruited from the Australian Health and Social Science panel, completed an online survey. Signal Detection Analysis was used to identify subgroups that were more/less likely to have received physical activity recommendations. Results : Overall, 18% of participants received a physical activity recommendation from their general practitioner in the past 12 months and eight unique subgroups were identified. The subgroup with the highest proportion (54%) of participants reporting that they received a physical activity recommendation was those with poor physical and mental health‐related quality of life and an average daily sitting time of <11 hours. Other subgroups with high proportions of individuals receiving recommendations were characterised by higher weight and/or the presence of co‐morbidities. The most commonly prescribed physical activity type was aerobic activity. Few participants received specific physical activity advice. Conclusions : General practitioners are incorporating physical activity promotion into their practice, but primarily as a disease management tool and with limited specificity. Implications : Strategies to assist Australian general practitioners to effectively promote physical activity are needed.