TY - JOUR
T1 - An obligation for primary care physicians to prescribe physical activity to sedentary patients to reduce the risk of chronic health conditions
AU - Chakravarthy, Manu V.
AU - Joyner, Michael J.
AU - Booth, Frank W.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Physical inactivity increases the risk of many chronic disorders. Numerous studies have convincingly demonstrated that undertaking and maintaining moderate levels of physical activity (eg, brisk walking 3 hours a week) greatly reduces the incidence of developing many chronic health conditions, most notably type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and many types of cancers. However, the underlying mechanistic details of how physical activity confers such protective effects are not well understood and consequently constitute an active area of research. Although changing an individual's ingrained behavior is commonly perceived to be difficult, encouraging evidence suggests that intensive and repeated counseling by health care professionals can cause patients to become more physically active. Therefore, counseling patients to undertake physical activity to prevent chronic health conditions becomes a primary prevention modality. This article summarizes the vast epidemiologic and biochemical evidence supporting the many beneficial health implications of undertaking moderate physical activity and provides a rationale for incorporating physical activity counseling as part of routine practice in the primary care setting.
AB - Physical inactivity increases the risk of many chronic disorders. Numerous studies have convincingly demonstrated that undertaking and maintaining moderate levels of physical activity (eg, brisk walking 3 hours a week) greatly reduces the incidence of developing many chronic health conditions, most notably type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and many types of cancers. However, the underlying mechanistic details of how physical activity confers such protective effects are not well understood and consequently constitute an active area of research. Although changing an individual's ingrained behavior is commonly perceived to be difficult, encouraging evidence suggests that intensive and repeated counseling by health care professionals can cause patients to become more physically active. Therefore, counseling patients to undertake physical activity to prevent chronic health conditions becomes a primary prevention modality. This article summarizes the vast epidemiologic and biochemical evidence supporting the many beneficial health implications of undertaking moderate physical activity and provides a rationale for incorporating physical activity counseling as part of routine practice in the primary care setting.
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U2 - 10.4065/77.2.165
DO - 10.4065/77.2.165
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85047696709
SN - 0025-6196
VL - 77
SP - 165
EP - 173
JO - Mayo Clinic proceedings
JF - Mayo Clinic proceedings
IS - 2
ER -