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A team-based model of care : qualified exercise professionals and the impact on aging health

University of British Columbia

Background: Physical inactivity is a rising global concern as it relates to the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCD) and associated burden on health care. Failure to incorporate 150 minutes per week of physical activity (or 15-30 minutes per day) has been shown to increase the risk of NCDs such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes by 20-30%, and decreases longevity by 3-5 years. The importance of 15-30 minutes of physical activity should no longer be undervalued in Canada, and globally. Objective: To evaluate the impact of a twelve-month team-based care model within a private healthcare setting that included three or more qualified exercise professional visits on improving physical fitness and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease compared to their matched controls. Methods: 288 male and female patients’ charts of any age (m=61) were retrospectively reviewed for their engagement in a team-based care model between 2005-2016. The patients were assigned to one of two groups, a primary prevention group or a secondary prevention group based on elevated risk for or diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and received three or more fitness follow ups throughout program length by a qualified exercise professional (QEP) or did not. Measures of physical fitness and cardiovascular health were assessed for change over the twelve-month program length. Results: The patients who attended three or more sessions with a QEP over a 12-month program showed statistically significant improvements in their engagement in physical activity, and BMI. Waist circumference improved significantly for those engaged patients who had a high-risk waist size at baseline but were not coded with chronic disease (primary prevention). Over time, the overall cohort, who participated in the team-based care model, resulted in statistically significant improvement in their physical activity engagement, cardio-respiratory fitness, waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure. Conclusion: A team-based care approach with regular QEP visits was effective at improving cardio-metabolic health of adults Canadians. A team-based care approach led to improving measures of cardio-metabolic health of adult Canadians. Future research should consider how to effectively measure a team-based care model in primary and secondary prevention.

Text

2020-02-14

Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/73530

Kinesiology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/