To reduce the chronic disease pandemic, the World Health Organization urges physicians to focus on physical inactivity and recommending exercise as a key risk factor. However, most professionals do not prescribe exercise for their patients.
The benefits of physical exercise
People who engage in 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week have been estimated to reduce their risk of severe chronic diseases by between 25% and 50%.
In fact, for the prevention of diabetes, the treatment of heart failure. As well as secondary prevention of coronary artery disease and stroke rehabilitation, exercise has been shown to be as effective as conventional drug therapies in keeping patients alive and healthy.
So why don’t doctors prescribe exercise more often?
According to a new study, experts identify two key barriers to prescribing exercise. One is the lack of training at the undergraduate level, and the other, perhaps surprisingly, is the level of physical activity of the physicians themselves.
“We know that many medical students and doctors do not meet the minimum physical activity guidelines. And we also know that the best advocates of exercise are the people who believe it is important in their own lives. ” Explains lead author Dr. Anita Green in an exclusive podcast for MJA InSight.
Doctors’ habits and knowledge could be key factors
“It has been consistently shown that the more active a physician is, the more likely they are to think about exercise. That I mention it to the patient and help him to be more active ”.
Dr. Tammy Hoffmann, Bond University professor and lead author of a practical guide to prescribing exercise for chronic health conditions. You agree that training is a key topic.
“There is a lack of knowledge of the evidence for the benefits of exercise. It is not something that medical schools routinely teach. And then there is the problem of knowing what it actually prescribes. Just like you wouldn’t write a prescription for a drug without saying which one, you can’t just write a prescription for exercise. You have to adapt it to a condition. It has to be the right kind of exercise for the right amount of time. “
An additional problem, he says, is that it is not easy to capture data on the extent to which doctors prescribe exercise.
Is it necessary to prescribe it in the Mexican environment?
YES! INEGI reported that the majority of Mexicans do not exercise or practice any sport. According to data from the Sports Practice and Physical Exercise Module (MOPRADEF 2020), in our country only 38.9% of the 18-year-old population declared to be physically active.
According to the institute it is the the lowest figure that has been observed since 2013, when the module survey began. Although this is not statistically significant compared to recent years and the measurement could be affected by the confinement measures due to the pandemic:
“It should be noted that the health emergency situation due to COVID 19 that has been experienced in the country since the first months of last year, has promoted the population to remain in isolation, respecting social distancing measures added to entry restrictions to parks with sports spaces and public and private sports centers ”.
However, regarding the reasons for not exercising or abandoning it, the main one was lack of time (44.4%). In second place, health problems (19%) and in third place was fatigue from work (15.4%).
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