title: An ecological approach with primary-care counseling to promote physical activity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The study examined the effectiveness of primary-care counseling using a 2-pronged intervention to increase physical activity (PA) in a southeastern US city.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred thirty-seven patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (experimental [counseling and educational map], control group #1 [counseling only], or control #2 [standard care]) to identify PA differences. The experimental group received physician counseling and an educational map highlighting accessible recreational facilities within a 2-mile radius of the health center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients in the experimental group increased their weekly PA in comparison with patients in the controls. Significant differences were observed for patients between groups for PA (F = 7.648, df 3,423, P = .000), PA x visits interaction (F = 5.500, df 3,423, P = .001), and the PA x group interaction (F = 3.068, df 6,848, P = .006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This approach can perhaps increase the PA levels of underserved adults.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Health and Exercise Science, Furman University, Greenville, SC 29613, USA.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Lori
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Malvern
authors.forename: Suresh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muthukrishnan
authors.forename: Rachael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D015144:Southeastern United States; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires