ArticleBMJ open2025
Physical activity promotion practice within primary care: a cross-sectional survey of primary care health professionals in England.
Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Physical Activity Prescription in Primary Health Care: An Ethical Analysis.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Active practice charter accreditation is associated with higher quality outcomes in English general practice: a cross-sectional observational study.BMC primary care · 2026Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo investigate physical activity (PA) promotion practices among primary care health professionals in England. To assess whether attitudes, confidence, role perceptions, knowledge of PA guidelines, and PA behaviour were related to PA promotion practices. To examine the barriers to and facilitators of PA promotion practices.
designA cross-sectional online survey study with open (free text) questions.
settingNational survey and online-administered survey conducted in England. OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome variables were attitudes, confidence, role perceptions, PA behaviour, knowledge of the PA guidelines and PA promotion practices. Structural equation modelling evaluated associations between these variables.
participantsA total of 181 primary care healthcare professionals completed an online survey. The majority were general practitioners (GPs) (66.7%), followed by first contact physiotherapists (13.8%), practice nurses (12.2%) and link workers (7.7%).
resultsMost (59%) healthcare professionals did not meet recommended levels of PA and could not accurately identify the PA guidelines (53%). Most provided PA advice to patients but fewer than 40% assessed PA, supported behaviour change or made referrals to PA support programmes. More first contact physiotherapists and link workers reported more frequent engagement in collaborative aspects of PA promotion, including assessing PA motivation, supporting behaviour change and providing follow-up. Confidence in promoting PA (β=0.30, p<0.001) and positive attitudes (β=0.30, p<0.001) were the only significant predictors of PA promotion practices. Positive associations were observed between confidence, attitudes, PA behaviour and PA promotion practices. Barriers to PA promotion included time constraints and limited and affordable local PA programmes. Facilitators included time and affordable local PA programmes.
conclusionsMost primary care professionals routinely provide PA advice and feel confident doing so. However, with fewer than half able to accurately recall current PA guidelines and routine assessment and behaviour change support rarely reported, the quality and specificity of this advice remain unclear. While time constraints remain a major barrier to PA promotion, particularly among GPs, the addition of first contact physiotherapists and link workers is likely to enhance capacity for promoting PA in busy primary care settings.
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