Physician advice and support for physical activity: Results from a national survey
Section snippets
Sampling
Data were collected via telephone survey, using a modified version of the sampling plan of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The primary objective of the overall survey was to obtain representative data among varied populations across the United States on patterns and determinants of PA. There were no financial or other incentives to respondents, and the survey methods have been described in detail elsewhere.22, 23, 24 The cross-sectional risk factor survey used a
Results
Approximately two thirds of the respondents were female, and the survey was successful in gathering data from adults representing a large range of ages, over 25% of whom were African American (Table 1). About three quarters had a regular doctor and many were from lower-income households. Three quarters of respondents reported household annual incomes <$50,000, with almost 40% having incomes <$20,000. More than half had one or more chronic illnesses, and there was an even distribution on number
Discussion
Only 28% of a random sample of adults reported receiving advice from their physicians to engage in regular exercise. An even smaller proportion, 11% (or approximately 40% of those who received advice), reported assistance from their physicians in planning an exercise routine or follow-up support regarding their exercise patterns. Taken together, these findings replicate others,36 indicating substantial lack of attention to PA in spite of growing evidence for its importance. These rates of
Acknowledgements
This study was funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contract U48/CCU710806 (Prevention Research Centers Program), including support from the Community Prevention Study of the National Institutes of Health’s Women’s Health Initiative. Human subjects approval was obtained from the Saint Louis University Institutional Review Board. We are grateful for the assistance of Patsy Henderson, Nancy Noedel, and Mary Cregger of Battelle for assistance in data collection; Frank
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