Authors' objectives:

To determine whether counseling adults in primary care settings improves and maintains physical activity levels.

Authors' results and conclusions: Nine trials involving 9,227 adults met the inclusion criteria for this report. Most counseling interventions in the studies were relatively brief (3-5 minutes). Two of six fair to good quality trials reported statistically significant improvements in physical activity for intervention patients compared with patients receiving usual care. The remaining three trials compared two or more interventions (contained no usual care comparison). These trials reported an increased effect: when the patient was given advice in combination with a written prescription; for female patients, when the intervention included behavior counseling and extended phone call support; or when the patient (male or female) set a physical activity goal. Most studies had at least one of the following limitations: provided limited details on the counseling intervention, had follow-up on only 60-79% of subjects, excluded nonresponders from the analysis, studied selected provider populations, reported differences in physical activity levels at baseline between treatment groups, and/or had uncertain or low provider compliance. It was often difficult to assess whether patients had actually received a physical activity behavioral intervention. Most trials only assessed the patients' activity levels short-term (less than six months). These methodological problems made it hard to rigorously assess the efficacy or effectiveness of the interventions. More research is needed to clarify the effect, benefits and/or potential harms of counseling patients in primary care to increase physical activity.

Authors' recommendations: Evidence that counseling adults in the primary care setting to increase physical activity is inconclusive.

Authors' methods: Systematic review

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf/uspsphys.htm

Year Published: 2002

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: United States

Organisation Name: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Contact Address: Center for Outcomes and Evidence Technology Assessment Program, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. Tel: +1 301 427 1610; Fax: +1 301 427 1639;

Contact Name: martin.erlichman@ahrq.hhs.gov

Contact Email: martin.erlichman@ahrq.hhs.gov

Copyright: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)