title: Recommendations by Queensland GPs to be more physically active: which patients were recommended which activities and what action they took.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain the extent to which general practitioners in Queensland recommend physical activity to their patients, the types of patients they target, types of activities they suggest and how patients respond to the recommendations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questions designed to answer the research objectives were included in the Queensland Social Survey. Univariate, bivariate and logistic regression analyses were employed linking relevant variables with demographic data from the survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survey was completed by 1,261 (35.2%) people. In the previous year, 225 (18%) of them were recommended by a general practitioner to do more physical activity. These people were more likely to have a higher body mass index and rate their general health as fair or poor. Walking was the most common activity recommended (75%). Only 18% of people were not pleased to be recommended to take more exercise and most (67%) reported following the advice. Blue-collar workers and older people were less likely to follow the recommendations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  General practitioners in Queensland are recommending increased physical activity to patients with weight problems and with medical problems. Patients are usually pleased to receive the advice and act upon it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  General practitioners should be aware that physical activity recommendations are received favourably by most patients and there is potential to improve public health by giving physical activity advice to sedentary and/or overweight patients when appropriate.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, University of Stirling, Scotland, UK. roma.robertson@stir.ac.uk
authors.forename: Roma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jepson
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: Rhona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McInnes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006266:Health Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011793:Queensland; D055815:Young Adult