Physical activity promotion by physiotherapists

Abstract

Physical inactivity is a major public health problem worldwide and is the second highest risk factor for chronic disease. Physiotherapists are primary care providers who have the knowledge and skills to provide physical activity advice and tailor programs to individual needs. The primary aim of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of physiotherapists providing “non treatment-related” physical activity intervention for better health, as an adjunct to their clinical treatment roles. A second aim is to establish the current level of evidence of the effectiveness of physiotherapists in providing non treatment physical activity intervention for better health. A survey of practices and perceptions of physiotherapists and physiotherapy students indicated that some physiotherapists were already incorporating physical activity advice into their usual practice. Physiotherapists and physiotherapy students identified few barriers to incorporating physical activity advice into usual practice. A systematic review to determine whether physiotherapists are effective in increasing physical activity behaviour demonstrated that there is limited evidence suggesting that physiotherapists may be effective in promoting physical activity to improve health. Physiotherapists are primary care providers with a relatively untapped potential to contribute to public health strategies to increase physical activity for the prevention of chronic disease.