Identification of Knowledge, Attitudes, Intensions, Abilities and Behavior on Physicians Who Manage Patients With Chronic, Non-communicable Diseases on Physical Activity and Exercise.

This nationwide, cross-sectional study aims at investigating the knowledge, attitudes, intentions, abilities and behavior of physicians who manage patients with chronic, non-communicable diseases on physical activity and exercise. Secondly, it aims at developing a new questionnaire via the Delphi method that evaluates the knowledge, attitudes, intentions, abilities, and behavior on physical activity and exercise of physicians who manage patients with non-communicable diseases, and be weighted in terms of its validity and reliability.

The study will be conducted in Greece, in three main phases: 1) development of a new research tool (questionnaire) based on the questions of a draft questionnaire generated from the results of a systematic literature review and a focus group between researchers. The new questionnaire will explore the knowledge, attitudes, intentions, abilities, and behavior of physicians who manage patients with non-communicable diseases on physical activity and exercise, 2) pilot testing of the new questionnaire, and 2) main study implementation.

Phase 1: Construction of the questionnaire via the Delphi method.

The purpose of the Delphi method is to reach a consensus / agreement on questions about physicians' knowledge, attitudes, intentions, abilities, and behavior regarding physical activity and exercise and the research question of the method is: "What are the questions with consensus≥75% that will be included in the final main study questionnaire, which will explore physicians' knowledge, attitudes, intentions, abilities, and behavior in physical activity and exercise? ".

Delphi method research design: A two or three-round Delphi survey, with a list of questions on physicians' knowledge, attitudes, intentions, abilities, and behavior (draft questionnaire) generated from the results of a systematic literature review and a focus group between researchers, will be conduct. The draft questionnaire will be provided by principal researcher to the Delphi experts in the 1st round of the method, as described below. Specifically, at the first round of the procedure the experts will be invited to participate to Delphi method via e-mail. The method will start after obtaining their informed consent. Then the principal researcher will send to experts, via a google form, an anonymous, self- administered, coded and semi-structured questionnaire (draft), with closed and open questions, on which experts must give their consensus. The definition for consensus is percent agreement, with 75% being the threshold to define consensus. There will be two defined criteria to terminate the Delphi method; the one is the achievement of consensus≥75% and the second is the specific number of rounds (maximum 3). The experts will score on a 7/Likert scale (from 1, completely insignificant question to 7, completely important question). Under each closed question there will be the same open optional question (comment/justify) for adding comments. As well, at the end of each section there will be an additional open-ended question, to suggest, if desired, their own questions for the next round questionnaire. The questions of the semi-structured questionnaire will be divided into 6 main sections: Demographic and educational characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, intentions, abilities and behavior in physical activity and exercise.