SynthesisThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2011
Are physical activity interventions in primary care and the community cost-effective? A systematic review of the evidence.
Synthesis in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 94 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
94 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of booster strategies to promote physical activity maintenance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Cost-effectiveness of exercise referral schemes: a systematic review of health economic studies.European journal of public health · 2022Pooled it
- Health wearable devices for weight and BMI reduction in individuals with overweight/obesity and chronic comorbidities: systematic review and network meta-analysis.British journal of sports medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Promoting physical activity in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Pooled it
- Educational interventions for physical activity among Brazilian adults: systematic review.Revista de saude publica · 2021Pooled it
- Guideline
- Are brief interventions to increase physical activity cost-effective? A systematic review.British journal of sports medicine · 2016Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Future challenges for intervention research in health and lifestyle research - A systematic meta-literature review.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2015Pooled it
- Effectiveness of physical activity promotion based in primary care: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2012Pooled it
- Barriers and Facilitators Perceived by Primary Healthcare Professionals About Physical Activity Prescription, a Meta-Ethnography.Public health nursing (Boston, Mass.)Pooled it
- Effect of a Community Health Worker-Led Intervention on Physical Activity in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Health Care in the Brazilian Amazon.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Trial
- Impact of an intradialysis virtual-reality-based exercise program on healthcare resources expenditure: a micro-costing analysis.BMC nephrology · 2022Trial
- Describing the resource utilisation and costs associated withvertebral fractures: the Build Better Bones with Exercise (B3E) Pilot Trial.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Telephone-Based Coaching and Prompting for Physical Activity: Short- and Long-Term Findings of a Randomized Controlled Trial (Movingcall).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Trial
- Trial
- A RCT to evaluate a totally automated, culturally-adapted telephone counselor for increasing physical activity among physically inactive individuals in China.BMC public health · 2018Trial
- Trial
34 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe health and economic burden of physical inactivity is well documented. A wide range of primary care and community-based interventions are available to increase physical activity. It is important to identify which components of these interventions provide the best value for money.
aimTo assess the cost-effectiveness of physical activity interventions in primary care and the community. DESIGN OF STUDY: Systematic review of cost-effectiveness studies based on randomised controlled trials of interventions to increase adult physical activity that were based in primary health care or the community, completed between 2002 and 2009.
methodElectronic databases were searched to identify relevant literature. Results and study quality were assessed by two researchers, using Drummond's checklist for economic evaluations. Cost-effectiveness ratios for moving one person from inactive to active, and cost-utility ratios (cost per quality-adjusted life-year [QALY]) were compared between interventions.
resultsThirteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Eight studies were of good or excellent quality. Interventions, study populations, and study designs were heterogeneous, making comparisons difficult. The cost to move one person to the 'active' category at 12 months was estimated for four interventions ranging from €331 to €3673. The cost-utility was estimated in nine studies, and varied from €348 to €86,877 per QALY.
conclusionMost interventions to increase physical activity were cost-effective, especially where direct supervision or instruction was not required. Walking, exercise groups, or brief exercise advice on prescription delivered in person, or by phone or mail appeared to be more cost-effective than supervised gym-based exercise classes or instructor-led walking programmes. Many physical activity interventions had similar cost-utility estimates to funded pharmaceutical interventions and should be considered for funding at a similar level.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.