Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2017 Feb 2;7(2):e012156.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012156.

Physical activity on prescription schemes (PARS): do programme characteristics influence effectiveness? Results of a systematic review and meta-analyses

Jelena Arsenijevic  1 , Wim Groot  1   2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Physical activity on prescription schemes (PARS): do programme characteristics influence effectiveness? Results of a systematic review and meta-analyses

Jelena Arsenijevic et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Background: Physical activity on prescription schemes (PARS) are health promotion programmes that have been implemented in various countries. The aim of this study was to outline the differences in the design of PARS in different countries. This study also explored the differences in the adherence rate to PARS and the self-reported level of physical activity between PARS users in different countries.

Method: A systematic literature review and meta-analyses were conducted. We searched PubMed and EBASCO in July 2015 and updated our search in September 2015. Studies that reported adherence to the programme and self-reported level of physical activity, published in the English language in a peer-reviewed journal since 2000, were included. The difference in the pooled adherence rate after finishing the PARS programme and the adherence rate before or during the PARS programme was 17% (95% CI 9% to 24%). The difference in the pooled physical activity was 0.93 unit score (95 CI -3.57 to 1.71). For the adherence rate, a meta-regression was conducted.

Results: In total, 37 studies conducted in 11 different countries met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 31 reported the adherence rate, while the level of physical activity was reported in 17 studies. Results from meta-analyses show that PARS had an effect on the adherence rate of physical activity, while the results from the meta-regressions show that programme characteristics such as type of chronic disease and the follow-up period influenced the adherence rate.

Conclusions: The effects of PARS on adherence and self-reported physical activity were influenced by programme characteristics and also by the design of the study. Future studies on the effectiveness of PARS should use a prospective longitudinal design and combine quantitative and qualitative data. Furthermore, future evaluation studies should distinguish between evaluating the adherence rate and the self-reported physical activity among participants with different chronic diseases.

Keywords: PARS; PRIMARY CARE; health promotion.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Meta-analyses of adherence rate level among PARS participants. PARS, physical activity on prescription schemes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Meta-analyses of physical activity level among PARS participants. PARS, physical activity on prescription schemes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Funnel plot of effect size versus SE (random effects model).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Dugdill L, Graham RC, McNair F. Exercise referral: the public health panacea for physical activity promotion? A critical perspective of exercise referral schemes; their development and evaluation. Ergonomics 2005;48:1390–410. - PubMed
    1. Gidlow C, Johnston LH, Crone D et al. . Attendance of exercise referral schemes in the UK: a systematic review. Health Educ J 2005;64:168–86. 10.1177/001789690506400208 - DOI
    1. Moore GF, Moore L, Murphy S. Facilitating adherence to physical activity: exercise professionals’ experiences of the National Exercise Referral Scheme in Wales: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2011;11:935 10.1186/1471-2458-11-1 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Williams NH, Hendry M, France B et al. . Effectiveness of exercise-referral schemes to promote physical activity in adults: systematic review. Br J Gen Pract 2007;57:979–86. 10.3399/096016407782604866 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Murphy SM, Edwards RT, Williams N et al. . An evaluation of the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the National Exercise Referral Scheme in Wales, UK: a randomised controlled trial of a public health policy initiative. J Epidemiol Community Health 2012;66:745–53. 10.1136/jech-2011-200689 - DOI - PMC - PubMed