Are physiotherapists walking the walk? : a global survey of physiotherapists' physical activity levels

Background: Insufficient physical activity (PA) is 1 of the 10 leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases and early death worldwide (WHO 2010). PA counselling by physicians and other healthcare professionals has been shown to be effective in increasing PA levels, at least in the short-term (Orrow et al 2012). It has also been shown to increase years lived free from disease (Gulliford et al 2013) and has been shown to be cost-effective (Murphey et al 2012). Conveying information about PA to patients in a way that will facilitate behaviour change is a complex intervention and is influenced by many factors. One factor that has been identified in the literature as having a strong influence over this interaction is the PA habits of the healthcare professionals. There is compelling evidence that the PA habits of healthcare professionals influence the amount that they promote PA in their clinical practice (Lobelo 2014). There is a need to better understand Physiotherapists´ own PA levels in order to understand this important variable that influences PA promotion in clinical practice. Purpose: To record the physical activity levels of physiotherapists around the globe. Methods: Survey data was collected from participants of a global online physiotherapy and physical activity course. A validated, single-item question was used to assess the number of days on which respondents had been active for at least 30 minutes in the last week. Responses were collated and preliminary descriptive statistics were performed. Further data analysis is planned. Results: 2498 responses were collected from 120 countries. The mean number of days on which respondents had been active in the week prior to completion was 3. The proportion of respondents who had been active on 5 or more days was 26% (n=647). The guideline of 5 x 30 minutes of moderate PA on 5 or more days per week was not achieved by 74% (n=1851) of respondents and 11% (n=287) respondents had not achieved 30 minutes moderate PA on any day in the previous week. Conclusion(s): These are preliminary findings only and further analysis (including analysis by country) is planned. Self-report of PA is known to have limitations and the measurement tool used may not capture all relevant PA. However, the results suggest the levels of PA amongst Physiotherapists around the globe may be surprisingly low. Implications: It is essential that the limitations of a single-item question are kept in mind when considering implications. The preliminary results suggest that PA levels of Physiotherapists may be low, this has important implications firstly for Physiotherapists as promoters of PA, this may be an important issue in increasing PA promotion in clinical practice. Secondly there may be important implications for workforce health. Key-Words: physical activity; physiotherapy; health promotion Funding acknowledgements: No funding was sought for this project. Acknowledgements to Sheffield Hallam University and Physiopedia. Ethics approval: Ethical Approval was granted by Sheffield Hallam University Faculty of Health & Wellbeing Ethics Board. Presentation Type: Platform presentation