Adherence
Structured physical activity counseling interventions (assistance and counseling) significantly improve cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) in inactive women compared to standard physician advice, but do not improve fitness in inactive men.
If you are a woman, structured counseling from a health educator (even with just ~3 hours of contact over 2 years) can significantly boost your heart health compared to just being told to exercise by your doctor. If you are a man, basic advice might be just as effective as intensive counseling for improving fitness, so focus on the activity itself rather than the counseling format.
For women, the assistance and the counseling interventions were similar in significantly increasing cardiorespiratory fitness... For men, neither of the 2 counseling interventions was more effective than recommended care.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with 24-month follow-up, large sample size (n=874), and objective outcome measures (VO2max), though self-reported activity was not significantly different.
Source
Effects of Physical Activity Counseling in Primary Care: The Activity Counseling Trial: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The Writing Group for the Activity Counseling Trial Research Group et al. · JAMA · 2001
DOI 10.1001/jama.286.6.677
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
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →