The vagaries of self-reports of physical activity: a problem revisited andaddressed in a study of exercise promotion in the over 65s in general practice

Background. The assessment of levels of physical activity relies upon suita ble measurement tools. Objective. We aimed to investigate whether a practic e nurse, using a motivational interview technique, could encourage older pa tients to increase their physical activity. Methods. Health and well-being were monitored at baseline and 8 weeks follo wing intervention. Physical activity levels were ascertained using both a s elf-report measure and ambulatory heart-rate monitoring. Results. Whilst patients reported higher levels of physical activity at fol low-up, this finding was not confirmed by the heart-rate data. Conclusion. The study concludes that patients tend to overestimate the amou nt of physical activity undertaken and that ambulatory heart-rate monitorin g may be more useful for verifying actual behaviour.