Global experts agree: Physical activity should be assessed, prescribed and promoted in routine healthcare

Physical inactivity is one of the strongest modifiable risk factors for chronic disease worldwide. Yet in everyday clinical practice, patients’ activity levels are not always assessed systematically, and advice about movement often remains general rather than structured.

Now, a new international consensus—published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine—provides practical guidance on how healthcare professionals can assess, prescribe, and promote physical activity as part of routine care for people living with long-term chronic conditions.

The initiative involved 27 experts from 13 countries across five continents, including 11 based in Denmark.

From general advice to structured care

The consensus addresses three key questions: how to assess physical activity, how to prescribe it, and how to promote it over time.

The core recommendation is clear: every patient should have their physical activity level briefly assessed and documented. If they do not meet the World Health Organization (WHO) physical activity recommendations, they should receive tailored advice or prescription and follow-up support to help integrate movement into daily life.

-  Physical activity is often discussed in healthcare, but not always in a structured or documented way, says Associate Professor Alessio Bricca, Centre for Health in Muscles and Joints, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, and DIAS Visiting Fellow at the University of Southern Denmark.
- Our goal was to provide practical guidance that healthcare professionals can realistically apply in routine care.

The recommendations emphasize that assessments can be brief and that the prescription of physical activity should specify the type, duration, frequency, and intensity of activity, or include referral to structured programs in community or private practice settings.

Furthermore, promotion of physical activity should be provided to all patients not meeting WHO guidelines, be sustained over longer periods, and support integration of physical activity into the patient’s daily life. In addition, efforts should be made to support long-term adherence to physical activity.

Building on global guidelines

The work builds on and extends the WHO’s physical activity guidelines by translating them into practical strategies for everyday clinical settings.

- We extend existing global recommendations by focusing on how they can be applied in real consultations, says Bricca.

- If physical activity is routinely assessed and recorded, it becomes easier to identify who may benefit from additional support.

The consensus also aligns with broader international efforts to reduce physical inactivity by 15 percent by 2030—a goal intended to lower the burden of chronic disease worldwide.

A global foundation – next step is testing

The consensus provides a global foundation for integrating physical activity into routine care. According to the researchers, the next step is to translate the recommendations into practical and user-friendly formats that clinicians can easily apply in everyday practice.

- One important step is to develop a structured clinical resource or digital tool that supports healthcare professionals in assessing, prescribing and promoting physical activity in a simple and efficient way, says Bricca.

- Once developed, such a tool should be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial to determine its effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability in routine healthcare settings.

He emphasises that successful implementation requires close collaboration with healthcare professionals.

- We need co-design with clinicians to ensure the recommendations fit into existing workflows and do not add unnecessary burden. Through collaborative discussions and iterative feedback, we can identify what is feasible and how best to support clinicians in applying the recommendations in a time-efficient way.

If widely adopted, the long-term ambition is to reduce the health burden associated with physical inactivity.