Research
Adherence
Exercise is underprescribed and frequently overlooked in favor of pharmacologic or surgical interventions due to lack of awareness and poor knowledge of effective protocols.
Clinicians must prescribe specific exercise protocols, not just 'exercise'.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
However, exercise is underprescribed and frequently overlooked, often in favour of a pharmacologic or surgical intervention.
Why this rating
Based on analysis of reporting in trials.
Source
Prescribing exercise interventions for patients with chronic conditions
Tammy Hoffmann et al. · Canadian Medical Association Journal · 2016
DOI 10.1503/cmaj.150684
narrative_reviewCited 160×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Structured, supervised exercise interventions provide mortality and morbidity benefits comparable to pharmacologic interventions for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, stroke rehabilitation, heart failure treatment, and diabetes prevention.Strong
- For osteoarthritis of the knee, structured land-based exercise reduces pain and improves physical function with moderate effect sizes, comparable to or better than no-exercise controls.Strong
- Structured, supervised exercise training of at least 12 weeks duration reduces HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetes, with greater reductions seen at durations >150 minutes/week.Strong
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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