Health Care Professionals’ Promotion of Exercise Referral Schemes in New South Wales

Exercise referral schemes (ERSs) can increase physical activity participation and improve health outcomes associated with chronic disease. The success of these programs relies heavily on the active involvement of health care professionals to make referrals. In this study, we explore the barriers and facilitators that influence health care professionals’ promotion of physical activity and ERSs in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

Methods

Participants were recruited through Live Life Get Active, an existing, free ERS and health promotion charity. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 health care professionals. Data were analyzed using deductive and exploratory thematic analysis.

Results

Participants described their attitudes toward physical activity promotion via ERSs and barriers and facilitators to recommending physical activity programs. All participants described the importance of tailoring physical activity recommendations to their patients’ health needs, lifestyles, and preferences. While participants understood the value of ERSs, they faced consultation time constraints, limited awareness of available programs, and the need to prioritize alternative treatments for health conditions. However, participants reported their own and patients’ positive experiences with physical activity, good physical activity literacy, and a clear understanding of the potential advantages for patients were catalysts for referrals. A streamlined referral process to free programs with social components was preferred.

Conclusion

Identified barriers to health care professionals promoting ERSs highlight the need for increased knowledge of available ERSs and physical activity programs and improved referral pathways. The findings support a focus on increasing professionals’ knowledge about exercise and reducing the gap between knowledge and action by increasing ease of exercise referral.

Keywords: physical activity; physical activity access; health care practitioners; exercise physiology

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FIGURE 1.

Thematic analysis structure dichotomized into health care professional barriers and facilitators to promoting exercise referral schemes (ERSs).

Contributor Notes

Address for correspondence: Chiara Mastrogiovanni, MSc, ESSAM AEP, Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia; +614 5165 2163; e-mail: c.mastrogiovanni@unsw.edu.au.

Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. This project was funded by Live Life Get Active. The funders exclusively contributed to the recruitment phase, however, were not involved in the conduct of the study.