Physical activity recommendations from general practitioners in Australia. Results from a national survey
Date
2016
Authors
Short, C.
Hayman, M.
Rebar, A.
Gunn, K.
De Cocker, K.
Duncan, M.
Turnbull, D.
Dollman, J.
Van Uffelen, J.
Vandelanotte, C.
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Journal article
Citation
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2016; 40(1):83-90
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Abstract
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.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.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.General practitioners are incorporating physical activity promotion into their practice, but primarily as a disease management tool and with limited specificity.Strategies to assist Australian general practitioners to effectively promote physical activity are needed.
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Copyright 2015 Public Health Association of Australia.