Ja. Halbert et al., Physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors: effect of advice from an exercise specialist in Australian general practice, MED J AUST, 173(2), 2000, pp. 84-87
Citations number
24
Categorie Soggetti
General & Internal Medicine","Medical Research General Topics
Objective: To determine whether provision of individualised physical activi
ty advice by an exercise specialist in general practice is effective in mod
ifying physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors in older adults.
Design: Randomised controlled trial of individualised physical activity adv
ice, reinforced at three and six months (intervention) versus no advice (co
ntrol).
Setting: Two general practices in Adelaide, South Australia, 1996.
Participants: 299 adults aged 60 years or more who were healthy, sedentary
and living in the community.
Main outcome measures: Changes to physical activity (frequency and duration
of walking and vigorous exercise), selected cardiovascular risk factors (b
lood pressure, body weight, serum lipid levels) and quality of life over 12
months.
Results: Self-reported physical activity increased over the 12 months in bo
th groups (P < 0.001). The increase was greater for the intervention than t
he control group for all measures except time spent walking (P < 0.05). Mor
e intervention than control participants increased their intention to exerc
ise (P < 0.001). Serum levels of total and low-density lipoprotein choleste
rol and triglycerides fell significantly over the 12 months to a similar ex
tent in the two groups. No other significant changes in cardiovascular risk
factors were seen. Quality-of-life scores decreased over the 12 months. Th
e decrease was significantly greater among intervention than control women,
but not men, for emotional well-being (P = 0.02), physical well-being (P =
0.04) and social functioning (P = 0.04).
Discussion: Provision of general practice-based physical activity advice re
inforced three-monthly produced a sustained increase in self-reported physi
cal activity. However, there were no associated changes in clinical measure
s of cardiovascular risk factors and minimal changes in quality-of-life mea
sures.