The heterogeneity in reported effects was reduced in higher quality studies , when physical activity was self-directed with some professional guidance and when there was on-going professional support .
Our review suggests that physical activity interventions have a moderate effect on self reported physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness , but not on achieving a predetermined level of physical activity .
Due to the clinical and statistical heterogeneity of the studies , only limited conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of individual components of the interventions .
BACKGROUND Little is known about the effectiveness of strategies to enable people to achieve an increase in their physical activity .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of interventions for promoting physical activity in adults aged 16 years and older , not living in an institution .
Impact of an Australian mass media campaign targeting physical activity in 1998.
BACKGROUND Physical activity is now a public health priority , but there is only limited evidence on the effectiveness of mass-reach campaigns . INTERVENTION Paid and unpaid television and print-media advertising , physician mail-outs , and community-level support programs and strategies . SETTING / PARTICIPANTS A mass-media statewide campaign to promote regular moderate-intensity activity was conducted during February 1998 . The target group was adults aged 25 to 60 who were motivated but insufficiently active . DESIGN Cohort and independent- sample , cross-sectional representative population surveys , before and after the campaign . The intervention was conducted in the state of New South Wales , with the other states of Australia as the comparison region . MEASURES Telephone survey items on physical activity , media message awareness , physical activity knowledge , self-efficacy , and intentions . RESULTS Unprompted recall of the activity messages in the campaign state increased substantially from 2.1 % to 20.9 % ( p<0.01 ) , with small changes elsewhere in Australia ( 1.2 % to 2.6 % ) . There were large changes in prompted awareness from 12.9 % to 50.7 % ( p<0.0001 ) , much larger than changes elsewhere ( 14.1 % to 16 % , p=0.06 ) . Knowledge of appropriate moderate-intensity activity and physical activity self-efficacy increased significantly and only in the campaign state . Compared to all others , those in the target group who recalled the media message were 2.08 times more likely to increase their activity by at least an hour per week ( 95 % confidence interval = 1.51 - 2.86 ) . CONCLUSIONS This integrated campaign positively influenced short-term physical activity message recall , knowledge , and behavior of the target population , compared to the population in the region who were not exposed
The heterogeneity in reported effects was reduced in higher quality studies , when physical activity was self-directed with some professional guidance and when there was on-going professional support .
Our review suggests that physical activity interventions have a moderate effect on self reported physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness , but not on achieving a predetermined level of physical activity .
Due to the clinical and statistical heterogeneity of the studies , only limited conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of individual components of the interventions .
BACKGROUND Little is known about the effectiveness of strategies to enable people to achieve an increase in their physical activity .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of interventions for promoting physical activity in adults aged 16 years and older , not living in an institution .