December 2004

Toolkit helps physicians address activity levels of elderly

DEC. 15, 2004 — The Active Aging Toolkit for Healthcare Providers, a scientifically-based activity guide to help healthcare professionals prescribe physical activity programs for their patients, was introduced at the American Association of Family Physicians Annual Scientific Assembly in Orlando recently.

Developed by physicians, researchers and physical therapists, the Active Aging Toolkit provides a solution to the epidemic of physical inactivity among older adults. The toolkit creators are partners in the National Blueprint Project, a collaboration of more than 50 public and private organizations whose goal is to promote physical activity among older adults. A key strategy of the National Blueprint initiative is to develop resources for healthcare professionals to make personalized physical activity prescriptions for their patients.

The toolkit instructs physicians on techniques to counsel their patients, including behavioral counseling, physical assessment and goal setting. It includes a provider manual as well as patient-education materials to help teach patients how to safely begin a physical activity program.

The toolkit offers a scientifically-based activity program, a step-by-step activity program that provides specific interventions to improve functional ability, promote independence, help prevent chronic disease and disability and encourage healthy lifestyles in older adults.

A 1992 clinical study, the Activity Counseling Trial, found that primary care physicians and healthcare professionals are the most influential in motivating patients to exercise, but they often lack the tools to recommend a physical activity program. Last month, a study conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif., reported that less than 30 percent of physician-visits with patients at-risk for heart disease included counseling on increasing physical activity.

Physical inactivity can lead to life-threatening diseases such as cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death among older adults. Regular physical activity can modify key risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes, yet 60 percent of the population fails to meet the Centers for Disease Control's recommended 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. Physical activity and nutrition are second only to tobacco use in modifiable risk factors that cause death.

The toolkit was developed in response to a call-to-action by the National Blueprint Initiative (www.agingblueprint.org). The American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Sports Medicine, American Geriatrics Society, American Physical Therapy Association, National Center for Physical Activity and Disability, the President's Challenge and Thera-Band® Products are educational partners who promote the toolkit as a means to improve health and functional ability in older adults. To download the complete Active Aging Toolkit, visit www.firststeptoactivehealth.com

Source: First Step to Active Health, www.firststeptoactivehealth.com.

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