Predictors of healthcare professionals' intention and behaviour to encourage physical activity in patients with cardiovascular risk factors
2011

Encouraging Physical Activity in Cardiovascular Patients

Sample size: 278 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Sassen Barbara, Kok Gerjo, Vanhees Luc

Primary Institution: University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands

Hypothesis

Healthcare professionals' intention to encourage physical activity among cardiovascular patients is influenced by social-cognitive determinants.

Conclusion

Healthcare professionals' intentions and behaviors to encourage physical activity can be predicted by social-cognitive factors, which may improve cardiovascular risk profiles in patients.

Supporting Evidence

  • Social-cognitive determinants accounted for 41% of the variance in healthcare professionals' intention to encourage physical activity.
  • Intention and behavior were congruent in 39.7% of healthcare professionals.
  • Healthcare professionals with high intention were more likely to engage in encouraging behavior.

Takeaway

Doctors and nurses can help heart patients be more active if they believe it's important and have the right support.

Methodology

Healthcare professionals completed online surveys measuring their intention and behavior regarding encouraging physical activity among cardiovascular patients.

Potential Biases

Self-reported behavior may not accurately reflect actual practices.

Limitations

The study's sample was limited to professionals from a single institution, which may affect the generalizability of the results.

Participant Demographics

Participants were healthcare professionals aged 20-61, with approximately 60% having education beyond a bachelor's degree.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-11-246

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