Promotion of exercise in primary care

doi:10.1136/bmj.a2430

Published 11 December 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2430
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2430

Editorials

Promotion of exercise in primary care

Concerted efforts can improve patients’ health

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The health benefits of exercise are so great that it is probablythe most important self help treatment available. Regular exercisereduces the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease,type 2 diabetes, some cancers,¹ and death from all causes.²³ Regular physical activity and structured exercise can alsoreduce falls and injuries, and it is a key factor in the preventionand management of osteopenia and osteoporosis.⁴ It also promotesmental wellbeing and helps people to manage their weight.⁴

Effective promotion of exercise could result in substantialhealthcare savings, but this is hampered by our limited knowledgeof how to achieve sustained increases in physical activity.The linked study by Lawton and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.a2509)assesses the effectiveness of an "exercise on prescription"programme in less active women in primary care over two years.⁵

Current recommendations are that people do at least 30 minutesof physical activity of moderate intensity . . . [Full text of this article]

Steve Iliffe, professor of primary care for older people¹, Tahir Masud, consultant physician ², Dawn Skelton, reader in ageing and health³, Denise Kendrick, professor of primary care research⁴

¹ University College London, London NW3 2PF, ² Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham NG5 1PB, ³ Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow G4 0BA, ⁴ University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD

s.iliffe@pcps.ucl.ac.uk

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