Doctors urged to talk to patients about physical activity

A Leeds GP is urging more doctors to make the time to talk to their patients about the benefits of physical activity, in a wider bid to get Leeds moving more.

Sport England claims that one in four people would be more physically active if a GP or nurse advised them to move more. However, almost three-quarters of GPs say they do not raise the issue of physical activity with patients because of lack of time, confidence, or knowledge.

Dr Helen Lawal, a GP and TV-doctor in Leeds, is now talking to people in Leeds about what might get in their way of being physically active and what changes in Leeds would get them to move more. As part of the Get Set Leeds (GSL) initiative, Dr Lawal has helped the GSL team talk to people aged five to 85 from various ethnic backgrounds and speaking a wide range of languages.

They identified four main barriers to being physically active in Leeds: family and work responsibilities, impact of health conditions, not knowing where to find information, and lack of communication from GP practitioners and health professionals. Potential solutions highlighted by Lawal include fitting physical activity in the everyday routine of patients, building things up gradually, using the Get Set Leeds and Active Leeds website to learn more about physical activity, and encouraging GPs to sign up to the Active Practice Charter to talk to patients after their consultation about getting active.

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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