EXERCISE ON PRESCRIPTION - GUIDELINES FOR HEALTH-PROFESSIONALS

Exercise has the capability to improve many aspects of health, yet nat ional surveys have indicated that the general population is not exerci sing sufficiently for such benefits to accrue. With a great proportion of the population attending general practices each year, general prac titioners have a unique opportunity to increase the prevalence of exer cise. With such a realization, 'exercise on prescription' schemes, in which general practitioners prescribe exercise as an alternative to me dication, have become increasingly popular within the United Kingdom. However, few guidelines as to good practice exist. This paper aims to bridge this gap prior to the availability of detailed evaluations, by drawing upon the experiences of a scheme established in 1993 by the LI FE Project, a community-based heart disease prevention programme. The scheme currently has 22 general practices referring patients to a coor dinator who decides upon the most appropriate form of exercise prescri bed after an introductory consultation and a health check. To date, ov er 600 patients have been referred. The paper focuses upon various asp ects associated with exercise on prescription including patient select ion, targeting of general practices and leisure venues, ethical consid erations, adherence issues, and the most appropriate specific exercise options.