A Controlled Trial of Physician Counseling to Promote the Adoption of Physical Activity

• Published in: Preventive medicine Vol. 25; no. 3; pp. 225 - 233
• Main Authors: Calfas, Karen J., Long, Barbara J., Sallis, James F., Wooten, Wilma J., Pratt, Michael, Patrick, Kevin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.1996
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Exercise; Female; Humans; Male; Medical Audit; Models, Psychological; Motivation; Patient Care Planning; patient education; Patient Education as Topic - methods; Physician's Role; primary care physicians; Primary Health Care - methods; Program Evaluation; Regression Analysis; Walking; exercise; patient education; primary care physicians
• ISSN: 0091-7435; 1096-0260
• DOI: 10.1006/pmed.1996.0050

Background.In accordance with one of the Year 2000 Health Objectives, the current study tests the efficacy of brief physician-based counseling to increase physical activity in sedentary patients in a nonrandomized controlled trial. Methods.Control and intervention physicians were matched on medical practice variables. Two hundred fifty-five apparently healthy, sedentary, adult patients were recruited from 17 physician offices (mean age = 39 years, 84% female, 28% ethnic minority). Intervention physicians delivered 3 to 5 min of structured physical activity counseling during a well visit or follow-up for a chronic condition. A health educator made a brief booster phone call to patients 2 weeks after receiving physician counseling. Self-reported physical activity and stage of change (i.e., behavioral readiness to adopt or maintain activity) were collected at baseline and at 4- to 6-week follow-up. Objective activity monitoring was conducted on a subsample. Results.Intervention patients reported increased walking more than control patients (+37 min/week vs. +7 min/week). There was a significant intervention effect on the activity monitor. Intervention participants also demonstrated a greater increase in readiness to adopt activity than control subjects. Conclusions.Physician-based counseling for physical activity is efficacious in producing short-term increases in moderate physical activity among previously sedentary patients.