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 .
Effects of physical activity counseling in primary care: the Activity Counseling Trial: a randomized controlled trial.
CONTEXT Physical activity is important for health , yet few studies have examined the effectiveness of physical activity patient counseling in primary care . OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of 2 physical activity counseling interventions with current recommended care and with each other in a primary care setting . DESIGN The Activity Counseling Trial , a r and omized controlled trial with recruitment in 1995 - 1997 , with 24 months of follow-up . SETTING Eleven primary care facilities affiliated with 3 US clinical research centers . PARTICIPANTS Volunteer sample of 395 female and 479 male inactive primary care patients aged 35 to 75 years without clinical cardiovascular disease . INTERVENTIONS Participants were r and omly assigned to 1 of 3 groups : advice ( n = 292 ) , which included physician advice and written educational material s ( recommended care ) ; assistance ( n = 293 ) , which included all the components received by the advice group plus interactive mail and behavioral counseling at physician visits ; or counseling ( n = 289 ) , which included the assistance and advice group components plus regular telephone counseling and behavioral classes . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cardiorespiratory fitness , measured by maximal oxygen uptake ( VO(2)max ) , and self-reported total physical activity , measured by a 7-day Physical Activity Recall , compared among the 3 groups and analyzed separately for men and women at 24 months . RESULTS At 24 months , 91.4 % of the sample had completed physical activity and 77.6 % had completed cardiorespiratory fitness measurements . For women at 24 months , VO(2)max was significantly higher in the assistance group than in the advice group ( mean difference , 80.7 mL/min ; 99.2 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 8.1 - 153.2 mL/min ) and in the counseling group than in the advice group ( mean difference , 73.9 mL/min ; 99.2 % CI , 0.9 - 147.0 mL/min ) , with no difference between the counseling and assistance groups and no significant differences in reported total physical activity . For men , there were no significant between-group differences in cardiorespiratory fitness or total physical activity . CONCLUSIONS Two patient counseling interventions differing in type and number of contacts were equally effective in women in improving cardiorespiratory fitness over 2 years compared with recommended care . In men , neither of the 2 counseling interventions was more effective than recommended care
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 .