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Although regular physical
activity is known to help guard against obesity,
diabetes and various other medical conditions, many physicians
still fail to promote its benefits among their patients.
In interviews with more than 1,800 adults,
researchers found that only
28% of them reported being advised by their doctor
to increase their level of physical activity.
Such reports were most common among women,
older individuals, lower-income patients, nonwhites, those
with a regular physician, those who reported visiting their
doctor four or more times per year and those with a greater
number of chronic illnesses.
While it appeared that doctors were more
likely to advise people to be more active if their conditions
indicated a need for exercise or a possible benefit from it,
the researchers add, this pattern of advice overlooks the
preventive role of physical activity.
Further, only
4 in 10 patients who were advised to exercise more said that
they received help in developing an exercise plan,
follow-up support or counseling. These individuals were about
80% more likely to meet physical activity recommendations
-- a half-hour of moderate-intensity activity for 5 or more
days per week -- than were those who did not receive follow-up
care.
In light of this finding, if consumers
would like to receive such exercise assistance, they are probably
going to have to be proactive and ask for it. Overall, these
findings indicate substantial lack of attention to physical
activity in spite of growing evidence for its importance.
American
Journal of Preventive Medicine October 2001;21
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