# Physicians’ opinions on barriers to patient counseling on physical activity in primary care: focus on physicians’ healthy exercise habits and knowledge about physical activity

## TL;DR

This study explores how physicians' own exercise habits and knowledge about physical activity affect their ability to counsel patients with chronic diseases on exercise.

## Contribution

The study highlights the relationship between physicians' personal exercise habits and knowledge and their perceived barriers to counseling patients on physical activity.

## Key findings

- Most physicians have only partially sufficient knowledge about physical activity and its benefits for chronic diseases.
- Lack of time and patient preference for pharmacological treatment are the main barriers to providing physical activity recommendations.
- Physicians' exercise habits and knowledge significantly influence their perception of barriers to counseling patients on physical activity.

## Abstract

Personal physical activity is recognized as an effective tool for the prevention and management of chronic diseases, where primary care professionals become important figures. The aim of this study was to reveal the opinions of physicians about the expression of barriers related to physical activity consultations for patients with chronic diseases, considering their own healthy exercise habits and the knowledge they have acquired during their studies and currently have about physical activity and its benefits in chronic diseases.

A quantitative research strategy with cross-sectional design was used for study. The survey tool was designed to collect sociodemographic data, as well as data on primary care physicians’ self-reported barriers to providing physical activity (PA) – related recommendations to patients, their healthy exercise habits, and their knowledge of the effects of physical activity in managing chronic diseases.

The majority of the respondents (44.1%) have average healthy exercise habits, stated that they had received such knowledge only partially at university (98%–48.5%) or not at all (43%–21.3%) and now they have partially sufficient knowledge (109%–54.0%). The main obstacles preventing patients from providing recommendations about PA, according to the respondents, are lack of time at work (3.4 ± 0.817) and the patients themselves prefer pharmacological treatment (3.31 ± 0.790). Further analysis revealed that physicians’ healthy exercise habits and knowledge are significantly related to their opinion about the expression of barriers.

Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the adequacy of physicians’ knowledge about the benefits of physical activity for patients with chronic diseases and their own healthy lifestyle habits have a significant impact on the expression of perceived barriers when counseling patients on PA issues. These data emphasize the need to improve medical curricula and professional development, strengthening physicians’ knowledge and skills in the field of PA, as well as promoting their own healthy lifestyle practices as an important factor for the successful integration of PA recommendations into primary health care.