Physical activity interventions in clinical settings

Use of a Tablet-Based Risk Assessment Program to Improve Health Counseling and Patient-Provider Relationships in a Federally Qualified Health Center

This study evaluates the impact of an interactive, tablet-based lifestyle behavior questionnaire prior to a patient's primary care visit on counseling for health behaviors and patient-provider relationships. Using a quasi-experimental design at 2 federally qualified health centers, adults aged 18 to 35 years were asked to complete a tablet-based assessment about nutrition, physical activity, weight, smoking status, and alcohol use to identify unhealthy behaviors and their desire to discuss them with their provider. In the intervention group, participants were more likely to trust their providers (83% vs 71%, P = .0427) and feel that their provider cared about their health (80% vs 68%, P = .0468). Overweight/obese individuals were more likely to discuss weight loss with their doctor (59% vs 33%, P = .0088). Integrating information technology into primary care to encourage providers to discuss lifestyle issues and promote a positive patient-provider relationship may help improve the health promotion in primary care practices.

Are Pediatricians "Game"? Reducing Childhood Obesity by Training Clinicians to Use Motivational Interviewing Through Role-Play Simulations with Avatars

The results of a feasibility study funded by a National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research Phase 1 grant to assess the potential of using online, avatar-based simulation technology to increase pediatricians' use of motivational interviewing techniques to reduce childhood obesity are promising, with potentially positive implications for individual and public health outcomes.

Themed Review: Clinical Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Youth

National recommendations call for children and adolescents to accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most days of the week and for physicians to counsel their patients about physical activity. Physical inactivity tracks from childhood into adulthood, and among youth, it is associated with unfavorable risk factor profiles that promote the development of cardiovascular and metabolic chronic diseases. Few studies of clinical interventions to promote physical activity in children and youth have been published, and the paucity of evidence describing effective interventions and significant barriers limit delivery of counseling. However, existing studies provide evidence about elements of counseling most likely to be effective to guide clinical interventions and inform future research. Based on a literature review, this article offers guidance for incorporating physical activity promotion into clinical care, identifies gaps in current evidence, and suggests methodologic considerations for future research.