NEW YORK, Mar 09 (Reuters Health) -- When it comes to instilling good
exercise habits, healthy doctors can shape healthy patients, results of a recent
study suggest.
The investigators found that physicians who exercise regularly and are
knowledgeable about exercise are more likely than doctors who do not exercise to
encourage their patients to engage in physical activity.
A growing body of research points to the benefits of exercise in preventing
heart disease, high blood pressure, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer,
depression, and obesity. However, recent studies have found that nearly a
quarter of the US population is sedentary and a third of American adults are
overweight.
"Increasing physician knowledge of and participation in exercise may benefit
both physicians and their patients," write lead author Dr. Scott Abramson of the
Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands in Sandwich, Massachusetts, and
colleagues with Harvard Medical School and Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in
Boston.
The study results are based on responses from 298 US primary care physicians
to a survey on personal exercise habits, counseling practices, and barriers to
counseling on exercise.
According to the report in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, doctors
who participated in aerobic activity on a regular basis were more likely to
counsel patients on the benefits of aerobic exercise. These physicians tended to
be younger than doctors who did not provide exercise counseling.
Those who did not discuss exercise with patients cited a lack of time (61%)
or a lack of knowledge or experience (16%).
Female physicians were as likely as male physicians to exercise aerobically
but less likely to perform strength training exercises, the study found. Indeed,
only 41% of all physicians engaged in strength training, compared with 73% who
participated in aerobic activities.
Family doctors and internists were more likely than pediatricians and
geriatric physicians to discuss exercise. Counseling on strength training was
less frequent than counseling on aerobic exercise among all physicians.
The authors write that their study findings suggest a need to improve
physician education about exercise and to promote physical activity among
physicians.
"It is evident that education of all physicians, especially those who
practice primary care, is needed to emphasize the importance of promoting
physical activity in all patients," Abramson and colleagues conclude.
