This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (8)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in JAMA  Topic Collections  • Primary Care/ Family Medicine  • Exercise  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

The Challenge of Effecting Behavioral Change

Christina C. Wee, MD,MPH

JAMA. 2001;286:717-719.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Low levels of physical activity and fitness are associated with a 2-fold increase in risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.^1-2 The cardiovascular and mortality risk associated with low physical fitness is similar to, and in some cases higher than, the risk attributable to diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol levels, hypertension, or cigarette smoking.³ Yet only 15% of adults engage in regular vigorous physical activity, and 60% report no regular or sustained leisure time activity.⁴

The benefits of physical activity are undisputed. Numerous epidemiological studies suggest a dose-response relationship between higher physical activity and fitness levels and lower mortality risk.^{2, 5} Observational evidence suggests that improvements in physical fitness and activity level prolong survival.⁶ In addition, recent randomized trials have demonstrated the beneficial effects of moderate levels of regular physical activity on cardiovascular risk factors, such as insulin resistance, hypertension, and obesity.^7-8 Yet despite this strong evidence, US physicians . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliation: Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

RELATED ARTICLE

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
JAMA. 2001;286(6):677-687.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Effectiveness of Physical Activity Advice and Prescription by Physicians in Routine Primary Care: A Cluster Randomized Trial
Grandes et al.
Arch Intern Med 2009;169:694-701.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Clinical Counseling for Physical Activity: Translation of a Systematic Review Into Care Recommendations
VanWormer et al.
Diabetes Spectr. 2009;22:48-55.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Applying the Lessons of the DPP to Clinical Practice
Inzucchi and Sherwin
Clin. Diabetes 2003;21:91-92.
FULL TEXT  

Insulin resistance and risk for stroke
Kernan et al.
Neurology 2002;59:809-815.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT