Waterloo University. Canada: A little more than half of family health teams in Ontario offer
physical activity services such as classes or counselling to encourage
exercise among patients, and new research finds that standardizing
access could help reduce the $6.8-billion cost associated with a
sedentary lifestyle.
There is a link between a lack of physical activity and chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
A study from the University of Waterloo and published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism
last week reveals that only 57 per cent of family health teams in
Ontario offer physical activity services, and the majority of these
services are restricted to people with specific conditions. Researchers
looked at the physical activity services offered in 102 locations in
Ontario.
“These services can range from something as informal as an organized
walking group, to something as structured as an aerobics class or
counselling session,” said Cameron Moore, lead author on the paper and a
graduate student at Waterloo at the time of the study. “Physical
activity services are certainly part of the broader health promotion
picture, but they are unique in their cost-effectiveness and ability to
improve health and well-being for all patients, not just those with a
chronic condition.”
Currently, 67 family health teams in Ontario receive funding for
health-promotion initiatives, including dedicated funds to employ health
promotion staff. Prior research shows that adding a physical activity
counsellor would cost approximately $91.43 per participant per month.
“There may be an important role for physical activity counsellors as
Ontario shifts towards interdisciplinary health-care models," said
Professor Lora Giangregorio, of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences
at Waterloo and senior author of the study. “They have the potential to
influence behaviour change and monitor adherence to exercise programs,
resulting in better outcomes for the patient.”
In family health teams, a group of salaried physicians and
health-care practitioners work together under the same roof and with the
same patients. Physicians can draw upon the expertise of other
practitioners, including dieticians, social workers and health
promoters. They share information and can refer patients to a range of
specialists who are familiar with their medical history.
“Family health teams operate within a synergistic model of health
care, and physical activity counsellors are an important addition to
that mix,” said Moore. “Most people receive health care through the
primary care system, and therefore it is a great place to initiate
conversations about the health benefits of being physically active, and
to offer services that promote physical activity.”
The study suggests that registered kinesiologists with expertise in
physical activity prescription and counselling for behaviour change are
well suited for health promotion roles. In Ontario, kinesiology is a
newly accredited professional designation with a scope of practice that
includes physical activity promotion and prescription.