NICE – Training in primary care about physical activity and adults
Information and training in primary care about physical activity and adults.
Commissioners of health services, including primary care and public health services should provide information and training for primary care practitioners on how to provide brief advice on physical activity. This should cover:
- how physical activity promotion fits within their remit and how it can help prevent and manage a range of health conditions (see benefits of physical activity
- the definition of physical activity: what constitutes moderate and vigorous physical activity, and what intensity, duration and frequency of physical activity is needed to achieve the UK physical activity guidelines (see physical activity: definition and current UK recommendations)
- groups more likely to be inactive (see incorporating brief advice in commissioning in this pathway)
- misconceptions about who needs to increase their physical activity (based, for example, on
- visual cues such as body weight)
- how to undertake physical activity assessments
- local opportunities for physical activity
- the needs of specific groups, such as people with disabilities, including local opportunities for them to be physically active
- delivery of brief advice including, for example, the skills to motivate people to change (see the NICE pathway on behaviour change).