PEPAF: Evaluation of Family Physician's Effectiveness for Physical Activity Promotion
- Conditions
- Physical FitnessExerciseQuality of Life
- Interventions
- Behavioral: ControlBehavioral: Experimental Programme for Physical Activity Promotion
- Registration Number
- NCT00131079
- Lead Sponsor
- Basque Health Service
- Brief Summary
The potential health gains from active lifestyles are very well-known and it is recommended that all adults dedicate at least 30 minutes to activities of at least moderate intensity at least five days a week. What is still not known is how to help sedentary people follow this recommendation, by means of brief interventions feasible in routine general practice. This multi-center study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a physical activity promotion program (called PEPAF) implemented in 56 general practices of the Spanish public primary health care system. The study will test the capacity of the program to increase the physical activity level, physical fitness and health related quality of life of sedentary people.
- Detailed Description
Despite sedentary behavior being one of the strongest risk factors for chronic diseases and mortality, most of the population remains sedentary and evidence is inconclusive that counseling adults in the primary care setting to increase physical activity is effective.
The OBJECTIVE of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative programme to promote physical activity (called PEPAF) implemented by family doctors into daily routine practice. Doctors randomly allocated to the PEPAF group identified sedentary people who visited them for any reason, diagnosed their stage of change and prescribed a written plan of physical activity with those patients ready to change. Those not prepared to change were briefly counseled and given printed materials to motivate them. Patients with cardiovascular disease or other problems meaning that exercise could cause adverse effects were excluded.
Participating people will be followed for 24 months to measure the increase in the level of physical activity from baseline measurement to 6, 12 and 24 months, using 7-day physical activity recall. Health-related quality of life and cardiorespiratory fitness (submaximal cycle ergometer test) will also be measured.
People assigned to the PEPAF group will be COMPARED to patients of family doctors randomly assigned to the control group in which any systematic intervention on physical activity promotion has been postponed until year 2006, except for those patients whose health problems were directly related to a sedentary lifestyle. The average changes observed in the two groups will be compared, on the basis of intention to treat through analysis of covariance. The investigators will use mixed-effect models to take into account intra-patient, intra-doctor and intra-center correlation.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 4317
- Sedentary people who visit the general practitioner for any reason (those who do not dedicate at least 30 minutes to activities of at least moderate intensity at least five days a week).
- Disorders of the cardiovascular system
- Transplant recipients
- Renal or hepatic failure
- Severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Severe mental disorders
- Chronic and acute severe infections
- Metabolic uncontrolled disorders
- Restrictive pathology of muscles, bones and joints
- Complicated pregnancy
- Contact difficulties
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Control Control - PEPAF Experimental Programme for Physical Activity Promotion General Practitioner's assessment of physical activity level and minimal advice in routine clinical practice supplemented by physical activity prescription to those who accepted an additional 15 minutes appointment.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Physical activity level (7-day Physical Activity Recall [PAR]) six months from the start of the intervention
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Cardiorespiratory fitness six months from the start of the intervention Health related quality of life (SF-36) six months from the start of the intervention