A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Iowa has indicated that regular physical activity plays an important role in preventing chronic diseases; patients who stated that they were physically active on a health survey had a significantly lower risk of 19 different chronic health conditions.
The study involved a questionnaire given to over 7,000 patients at the University of Iowa Medical Center. On the questionnaire, patients reported their levels of physical activity every week, including how many days they participated in moderate to vigorous physical activity and approximately how many minutes they spent doing that activity. The results of the survey were then compared to the presence of chronic health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The results of this study showed that patients who reported the highest levels of physical activity (at or above 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week) had a significantly lower risk of 19 different chronic conditions compared to the general population. These conditions included cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and depression. Furthermore, patients who reported the lowest levels of physical activity per week on the survey (little to no activity) had an increased risk of many chronic health conditions.
Healthcare providers generally don’t ask patients about their physical activity levels, but these results suggest that surveying patients about their physical activity may be an important part of screening for and ultimately preventing chronic disease. The authors further noted that providers generally don’t get reimbursed for helping patients exercise more, even though exercise may be a key to preventing or controlling many health conditions. In the future, surveying patients about their exercise levels and connecting them with support services may be an important part of health and wellness visits.
Sources: University of Iowa, Science Daily
