[Sports physicians and prescription of sports therapy].
The older age of the population, together with some bad habits, first of all the lack of regular physical activity, is giving rise to a huge increase in the epidemiologic burden of cardiovascular diseases in our country. Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies have provided definitive evidence that physical activity is able to improve fitness and to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Moreover, physical exercise also seems to significantly reduce the risk of developing other chronic diseases with a high economic impact, such as obesity, osteoporosis, diabetes, tumors, and depression. For this reason, physical exercise has been proposed as a preventive and therapeutic strategy that is physiological, economic and efficacious in different clinical conditions. However, despite the fact that the benefits of an active lifestyle have been demonstrated by numerous scientific data, only a minority of Italians engage in regular physical exercise. Promoting physical activity in the general population and in patients affected by cardiovascular disease is therefore one of the primary objectives of our healthcare institutions in the next decades.
Giada
Franco
F
Dipartimento Cardiovascolare, Ospedale Umberto I, Venezia-Mestre. francogiada@hotmail.com
Guiducci
Umberto
U
D'Andrea
Luigi
L
Corrado
Andrea
A
Raviele
Antonio
A
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D055656:Prescriptions; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013177:Sports; D013178:Sports Medicine