Exercise prescription for prevention and control of chronic diseases by healthcare providers in Kenya

Abstract

Exercise is healthy, and it plays a practical and safe means to decrease the burden of non-communicable diseases. Physical activity(PA) and exercise are key interventions for use in primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases and especially when physical activity and exercise are part of a medical management plan. There is a need for PA promotion interventions in primary care and evidence that providers want to provide PA information to their patients. Several quasi-experimental and randomized trials have been conducted evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of primary care PA promotion interventions . While not all primary care PA promotion interventions were successful from the review, the majority of studies support this approach to increasing PA. The health care system should play a role in supporting patients and the population at large to increase their PA to sufficient level for prevention and control of these chronic diseases. Even though being physically active for health and well-being is accepted by much of the general population, the majority of people in developed countries fail to meet even minimal requirements. Considering the numerous preventative and therapeutic health benefits associated with a physically active lifestyle, the effectiveness of exercise to treat various chronic diseases, the limited side effects associated with exercise in comparison to pharmaceutical therapies and the role health providers can play in the promotion of physically active lifestyles, health providers should take an active role in exercise prescription for the patient’s sake. The Exercise is Medicine Initiative is being used in other parts of the world however, is has not fully taken off in many developing countries.

Keywords: Physical activity, exercise is medicine, chronic disease, exercise prescription, primary prevention, secondary prevention, health promotion