More Doctors Are Prescribing Exercise

Feb. 17, 2005 — -- How often have you gone to the doctor's office and heard the phrase "you should exercise more"?

Recently, this age-old advice has been replaced by some obesity specialists with written prescriptions for exercise. The practice is now catching on with primary care physicians all over the country.

"Given the overwhelming evidence of the importance of both regular physical activity and fitness to reduced mortality and morbidity from chronic disease, doctors and all health care providers have a responsibility to make time to address the issue in meaningful ways," said Reed Humphrey, a physical therapist at Idaho State University in Pocatello.

Talking about exercise and healthy eating with your doctor is not new. But the idea of writing down a personalized message for people to take home is novel.

Doctors have found that when they write down specific instructions for exercise on a prescription pad, just like with any other important medication, it is a more powerful message than simply discussing it.

But making lifestyle changes is easier said than done.

It takes a great deal of motivation on the part of the patient, it may depend on the local weather and terrain, and it may also mean more time in the doctor's office. The ability to sustain such changes over time is a significant challenge.

Primary care doctors may encounter additional obstacles.

"I may be seeing someone for sinusitis who is a devout couch potato and who does not necessarily view my exercise prescription as his most pressing need," said Dr. Richard Roberts, a family medicine doctor in Madison, Wisc.

Roberts also faces a patient population "who prefer W.C. Fields' advice: 'When I get the urge to exercise, I lay down until the feeling goes away.' "

Doctors are generally not paid for writing "obesity" as a diagnosis, which may be deterring those who have not yet embraced the idea of prescriptions.