Exercise is medicine: a case study of an exercise prescription clinic in the NHS.

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes physical activity (PA) as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure.1 This can comprise any routine activity, such as walking the dog or doing housework. Exercise is a subgroup of PA where activity is planned, structured, repetitive, and aims to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.1 Examples of exercise include any sport, dancing, or simply just walking. The health benefits of regular PA are irrefutable.2 There is a risk reduction of at least 20–30% for more than 25 chronic medical conditions (such as osteoarthritis, depression, or hypertension) and of premature mortality.2 Regular PA leads to reduced risk of developing several types of cancers, of fall-related injuries in older people, and of obesity in children and adults.3 PA is also associated with enhanced cognitive function and mental health across the lifespan, plus improved physical function.3 Conversely, sedentary behaviour is directly associated with an elevated risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease.3 Sedentary behaviour is defined as waking behaviour characterised by an energy expenditure ≤1.5 metabolic equivalents (METs), while in a sitting, reclining, or lying posture.4 This includes television viewing, videogaming, computer use, driving automobiles, and reading.4 One in two females and one-third of males in England are not achieving the targets of the UK government guidelines on PA5 and are damaging …