Primary care staff's views and experiences related to routinely advising patients about physical activity. A questionnaire survey

2006

Primary Care Staff's Views on Advising Patients About Physical Activity

Sample size: 757 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Douglas Flora, Nicola Torrance, Edwin van Teijlingen, Serena Meloni, Ann Kerr

Primary Institution: University of Aberdeen

What are the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of Scottish primary care staff regarding advising patients about physical activity?

Primary care staff generally support promoting physical activity but lack sufficient knowledge of current recommendations.

Only 13% of GPs correctly described current physical activity recommendations.
Health visitors and practice nurses were more likely to give routine advice than general practitioners.
40 to 60% of respondents agreed that educational materials are insufficient for their needs.

Doctors and nurses think it's important to tell patients to be active, but many don't know the right advice to give.

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of primary care staff in four health regions in Scotland.

Responses may reflect the views of more enthusiastic staff rather than a representative sample.

The study was limited to specific health professional groups and relied on self-reported behavior.

Included general practitioners, practice nurses, and health visitors from various health regions in Scotland.

p = 0.78

p<0.05

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