Thirty-five percent of Italians and, worldwide up to 2/3 of the adult population, do not practice sufficient physical activity and engage in sedentary behaviors, resulting in an increase and significant impact on both the costs of health systems and the health of individuals.
The World Health Organization has launched a global plan of action to reduce the prevalence of this phenomenon by 2030.
Included in this action plan is the promotion of physical activity in primary and secondary health settings as Health Professionals can play such a critical role in facilitating the dissemination and development of this culture of prevention.
A recent publication in the British Journal of Sports Medicine by Dr. Tahlia Alsop (University of Queensland) and colleagues outlined, through a consensus-based Delphi method, the 11 competencies that, as health care practitioners, we need to nurture and embrace in our Clinical Practice to support movement-related behavior change and counteract sedentary lifestyle.
As physical therapists, we must take on this responsibility, strengthened by the trusting relationship that characterizes the rehabilitation setting and the credibility that, as movement specialists, we want to assert and must demonstrate.
The development of shared competencies and interprofessional collaboration are essential to help achieve the overall goals in terms of increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviors. Keep moving!