The Effectiveness of a General-Practice-Based Physical Activity Intervention on Patient Physical Activity Status

Abstract

Physical inactivity is a risk factor for a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. Interventions designed to reduce the prevalence of physical inactivity have focused primarily on either adoption of physical activity or noncompliance and relapse, and no interventions have been reported which cover adoption, compliance, maintenance, and relapse, particularly within the clinical setting. The Fresh Start program, a multiple risk factor intervention program for the reduction of cardiovascular disease risk factors in general practice patients, was developed to cover all aspects of the adoption and maintenance of habitual physical activity, using Prochaska and DiClemente's Tr..