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. 2021 May 6;18:E43. doi: 10.5888/pcd18.200545

Table. Types of Physical Activity PCPs Most Often Recommended to Patients at Risk for CVD, by PCP Characteristics, DocStyles 2018a .

PCP Characteristic Sample Size Type of Physical Activity, % (95% CI)
Walking Supervised Sessions Other
Total 1,088 80.0 (77.5–82.2) 7.9 (6.4–9.7) 12.1 (10.3–14.2)
Age, yb
<45 385 72.7 (68.1–76.9) 10.6 (7.9–14.2) 16.6 (13.2–20.7)
≥45 703 83.9 (81.0–86.5) 6.4 (4.8–8.5) 9.7 (7.7–12.1)
Sexc
Men 574 77.0 (73.4–80.3) 9.4 (7.3–12.1) 13.6 (11.0–16.6)
Women 514 83.3 (79.8–86.3) 6.2 (4.4–8.7) 10.5 (8.1–13.5)
Race/ethnicityd
Non-Hispanic White 743 82.0 (79.0–84.6) 6.7 (5.1–8.8) 11.3 (9.2–13.8)
Other 345 75.7 (70.8–79.9) 10.4 (7.6–14.1) 13.9 (10.6–18.0)
Regione
Midwest 372 82.0 (77.7–85.6) 7.3 (5.0–10.4) 10.8 (8.0–14.3)
South 251 77.3 (71.7–82.1) 8.8 (5.8–13.0) 13.9 (10.2–18.8)
Northeast 255 78.4 (73.0–83.1) 8.2 (5.4–12.3) 13.3 (9.7–18.1)
West 210 81.4 (75.6–86.1) 7.6 (4.7–12.1) 11.0 (7.4–16.0)
Specialty
Family practice 470 80.0 (75.8–83.7) 8.1 (5.8–11.2) 11.9 (9.1–15.5)
Internal medicine 395 78.7 (74.8–82.2) 8.7 (6.5–11.6) 12.6 (9.8–15.9)
Nurse practitioner 223 82.5 (76.9–87.0) 5.8 (3.4– 9.8) 11.7 (8.1–16.6)
Years in practicef
3–10 285 72.6 (67.2–77.5) 9.8 (6.9–13.9) 17.5 (13.5–22.4)
11–20 378 79.9 (75.5–83.6) 10.1 (7.4–13.5) 10.1 (7.4–13.5)
>20 425 84.9 (81.2–88.0) 4.7 (3.1–7.2) 10.4 (7.8–13.6)
Main practice setting
Individual practice 843 80.8 (78.0–83.3) 7.6 (6.0–9.6) 11.6 (9.6–14.0)
Group practice 245 77.1 (71.5–82.0) 9.0 (6.0–13.3) 13.9 (10.1–18.8)
Privileges at teaching hospital
Yes 423 78.3 (74.1–81.9) 8.0 (5.8–11.0) 13.7 (10.7–17.3)
No 665 81.1 (77.9–83.9) 7.8 (6.0–10.1) 11.1 (8.9–13.8)
Financial status of majority of patientsg
Poor to low middle class 350 81.7 (77.3–85.4) 5.4 (3.5–8.4) 12.9 (9.7–16.8)
Middle class 440 81.8 (77.9–85.2) 8.2 (6.0–11.1) 10.0 (7.5–13.2)
Upper middle class to affluent 298 75.2 (69.9–79.8) 10.4 (7.4–14.4) 14.4 (10.9–18.9)

Abbreviations: CVD, cardiovascular disease; PCP, primary care provider.

a

DocStyles (5). The survey defined patients at risk for CVD as patients who 1) are overweight or have obesity and 2) have hypertension, dyslipidemia, impaired fasting glucose, or the metabolic syndrome. PCPs were asked, “What type of physical activity do you most often suggest to your at-risk patients?” Respondents who selected either gym sessions with an exercise professional or group exercise classes were categorized as selecting supervised sessions. Respondents who selected swimming, yoga/tai chi, bicycling, or other/none of these were categorized as other.

b

Significant pairwise differences (all P < .05): walking (<45 vs ≥45), supervised sessions (<45 vs ≥45), and other (<45 vs ≥45).

c

Significant pairwise differences (all P < .05): walking (men vs women) and supervised sessions (men vs women).

d

Significant pairwise differences (all P < .05): walking (non-Hispanic White vs other) and supervised sessions (non-Hispanic White vs other).

e

Region was based on the state in which PCPs reported they lived. Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

f

Significant pairwise differences (all P < .05): walking (3–10 vs 11–20; 3–10 vs >20), supervised sessions (3–10 vs >20), and other (3–10 vs 11–20; 3–10 vs >20).

g

Respondents were asked to select the category that best described the approximate financial situation (annual household income) of most of their patients. Response options included poor (less than $25,000), lower middle ($25,000–$49,999), middle ($50,000–$99,999), upper middle ($100,000–$249,999), or affluent (≥$250,000). Respondents who selected poor or lower middle were grouped into the “poor to low middle class” category; those who selected middle were grouped into the “middle class” category; and those who selected upper middle or affluent were grouped into the “upper middle class to affluent” category. Significant pairwise differences (all P < .05): walking (poor to low middle class vs upper middle class to affluent; middle class vs upper middle class to affluent) and supervised sessions (poor to low middle class vs upper middle class to affluent).