“Exercise on prescription” is a waste of scarce resources

Hundreds of “exercise on prescription” schemes exist in general practices in Britain. In a randomised controlled trial Harland et al (p 828) found that the most effective intervention for promoting increased physical activity was intensive motivational interviewing plus a financial incentive. A brief intervention was largely ineffective. Short term increases in physical activity were not maintained, regardless of the intensity of intervention. The health benefits of physical activity depend on sustained participation in an active lifestyle. These results call into question the effectiveness of brief interventions to promote physical activity used by many current UK schemes.