Healthcare providers should be given encouragement and resources to turn their practices into ones focused on improved physical activity.

After viewing the module presentations, learners should be able to:

Introduction to Physical Activity and the Role of Healthcare Providers in Physical Activity Counseling

• Evaluate the potential consequences of physical inactivity, including premature death, preventable disease, and higher healthcare costs
• Differentiate between physical activity and exercise
• Describe distinct types of exercise, including aerobic exercise, strengthening, flexibility, and balance
• Classify various types of physical fitness as outcomes of exercise
• Utilize physical activity guidelines as stated by the Department of HHS in 2018

The Science Behind Physical Activity and Sitting and Inactivity

• Analyze physical activity assessment tools and identify examples of these tools
• Emphasize the importance of fitness in decreasing the risks of all-cause mortality
• Examine the relationship between fitness and body weight, and identify the protective effects of fitness
• Calculate how much exercise is recommended to experience maximum health benefits
• Examine the correlation between sitting and all-cause mortality risk, as a distinct but related factor to physical activity levels

Healthcare Providers Role in Physical Activity Counseling and Filling the Exercise Prescription

• Determine the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of office-based counseling
• Recruit different types of healthcare providers that promote exercise
• Provide supplementary resources that can promote sustained exercise
• Identify barriers to counseling to increase the efficacy and frequency of physical activity counseling
• Utilize physical activity vital signs to assess patients’ current physical activity levels and to inform appropriate healthcare provider responses
• Describe the factors that make up a physical activity prescription, such as frequency, intensity, type, and time

Physical Activity for Specific Health Conditions and Physical Activity for the Chronically Ill

• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for healthy older adults
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for children and adolescents
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for pregnant and post-partum women
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for patients with heart disease
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for patients with diabetes
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for patients with cancer