Interventions for promoting physical activity

Interventions designed to increase physical activity can be moderately effective in encouraging people to become physically active and physically fit. A sedentary lifestyle leads to an increased risk of a number of chronic diseases including heart disease. Regular physical activity can reduce this risk and also provide other physical, and possibly, mental health benefits. The majority of adults are not active at recommended levels. This review found that professional advice and guidance with continued support can encourage people, 16 and older, to be more physically active. The majority of studies included in this review, however, lasted no more than one year. There was no increase in exercise-related cardiac events or injuries among those who had become physically active, compared to those who remained sedentary. More research is needed to establish which methods of exercise promotion work best in the long term to encourage different types of people to be more physically active.