Healthcare professionals' practices and barriers in assessing and promoting physical activity in primary care: a descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals working in primary care are well positioned to provide initial physical activity counseling owing to their frequent patient contact and their role as a trusted source of health information. Unfortunately, despite health benefits and recommendations, physical activity assessment and promotion in primary care settings is not a routine practice. Because there are currently no standardized practices, it is essential to know what practices are currently employed and explore the barriers to their use. The aim of this study is twofold: first, to describe and compare the practices used by primary care healthcare professionals regarding physical activity assessment and promotion among chronic disease patients and second, to explore the barriers to their use. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among primary care healthcare professionals. The questionnaire designed for this project on physical activity assessment and promotion practices was sent electronically to all 619 primary care healthcare professionals in the Mauricie and Centre-du-Quebec regions. Each item was evaluated with a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics were used to describe sociodemographic characteristics as well as physical activity assessment and promotion practices. Group comparisons were performed according to professionals' roles. RESULTS: Sixty-eight (11%) of the healthcare professionals responded to the questionnaire. Both physical activity assessment and promotion practices were reported at similar levels, with mean scores of 3.79 ± 1.05 and 3.69 ± 0.78, respectively, on a 5-point Likert scale. A few specific tools and methods are used by healthcare professionals to assess and promote physical activity. The main barriers to physical activity assessment and promotion during clinical consultation were patients' perceived lack of interest in physical activity and professionals' lack of knowledge regarding PA guidelines, tools and methods, and contraindications. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, primary care healthcare professionals are convinced of the benefits of physical activity in preventing and treating chronic diseases and recognize they have an important role to play. Although committed to promoting physical activity among chronic disease patients, they require continuous training on guidelines, validated tools, and motivational interviews together with clear advice to properly implement physical activity assessment and promotion practices.