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Although regular physical activity is known to help prevent obesity, diabetes and various other medical conditions, many physicians still fail to promote its benefits among their patients.

In interviews conducted with more than 1,800 adults, researchers found that only 28 percent of them reported being advised by their doctor to increase their level of physical activity.

Such reports were most common among women, older individuals, lower-income patients, non-white patients, subjects with a regular physician, patients who reported visiting their doctor four or more times per year and those with a greater number of chronic illnesses.

Furthermore, only four in 10 patients who were advised to exercise more said that they received help in developing an exercise plan, follow-up support or counselling. These individuals were about 80 percent more likely to meet physical activity recommendations -- a half-hour of moderate-intensity activity for five or more days per week -- than were those who did not receive follow-up care.

While it appeared that doctors were more likely to advise people to be more active if their conditions indicated a need for exercise or a possible benefit from it, this pattern of advice overlooks the preventive role of physical activity.

In light of this finding, if consumers would like to receive such exercise assistance, they are probably going to have to be proactive and ask for it. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine (October 2001;21) reported that the findings indicate a substantial lack of attention to physical activity in spite of growing evidence for its importance.