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- ACTIVATE: physical activity assessment, prescription and…
ACTIVATE: physical activity assessment, prescription and promotion in clinical practice by healthcare professionals – a consensus study initiated by the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy
Key Points
- Physical activity assessment should be part of routine care for all patients, including documentation and evaluation against WHO guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE
The prevalence and consequences of inadequate physical activity (PA) defined as not meeting the global PA guidelines (i.e. weekly PA consisting of 150 minutes of aerobic and two times strength training, and for older adults it also increases weekly balance activities), increases with age.
Among Americans 65 years and older, 9% meet the recommended levels of PA resulting in reduced functional endurance, strength, and balance, ultimately leading to falls and frailty (1). Furthermore, increasing moderate-to-vigorous PA by a daily 10, 20, or 30 minutes is associated with a 6.9%, 13.0%, and 16.9% reduction in the number of deaths per year (1). This means that adding 10 daily minutes of PA results in an estimated 11,1174 preventable deaths per year (1).
Therefore, it is recommended that all providers assess and address inadequate PA. However, minimal guidance on how healthcare professionals should assess, prescribe, and promote PA exists. The objective of this study was to create consensus recommendations for how healthcare providers should assess, prescribe, and promote PA when working with patients in clinical practice.
Behavior change techniques are observable, replicable, and active ingredients in interventions designed to alter habits, such as goal setting, self-monitoring, and environmental restructuring.
METHODS
Consensus Steps Completed: