The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: Implications for Clinical and Public Health Practice

The US government released its first formal recommendations on physical activity, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, in 2008. By issuing the guidelines, the government has established increased physical activity as a major societal health target for the 21st century. The guidelines include recommendations of the types and amounts of physical activity that people should perform to gain important health benefits. Physicians and other health care providers can help people attain and maintain regular physical activity by providing advice on how to be active, appropriate types of activities, and ways to reduce the risk of injuries. Although training for providers on how to counsel patients about physical activity is limited, training of future providers offers an opportunity to improve this area of medical education. Public health practitioners have shifted their efforts to promote physical activity toward an environmental focus, usually incorporating organizational and community-level interventions. As federal health policy moves toward a greater emphasis on prevention of chronic diseases, it is expected that new resources will become available to support physical activity promotion in health care and public health settings. Familiarity with the guidelines should aid professionals in medicine and public health in responding effectively to these new expectations and opportunities. © 2010, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.

Duke Scholars

Author William Erle Kraus Medicine, Cardiology