A further dimension to GPs’ limited knowledge of the Chief Medical Officer’s advice on physical activity described by Savill and colleagues1 lies in the health of primary care physicians themselves.
As a sedentary profession with long office hours, this finding indicates that GPs may be at increased risk of the very same physical and psychological consequences they seek to prevent in their patients. Such a conclusion could have wider implications for the public because patients’ perceptions of GP health are reported to influence their facilitation of advice given.2 This effect is not simply based on physical appearance of health and weight; one of the key determinants is the disclosure of the GP’s own health behaviours.2 While growing attention has been paid to burnout in GPs,3,4 the impact of working conditions on the physical health of GPs needs to be considered further. Opportunities should be created within annual appraisals to promote greater discussion of this, in particular strategies to address physical inactivity.
REFERENCES
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