Part of the Lifestyle Medicine Core Competencies program, this topic module contains four units:

Introduction to Physical Activity Part 1 and Part 2: The Role of Healthcare Providers in Physical Activity Counseling | Edward M. Phillips, MD, DipABLM

• There is very strong scientific evidence showing that physically active people have higher levels of health-related fitness, lower risk profile for disabling medical conditions, and lower rates of various chronic diseases than do people who are inactive. Physical inactivity causes nearly one in 10 premature deaths.  This unit reviews the relationship between physical activity and health, defines physical activity and exercise, identifies the components of exercise, and summarizes the United States Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.

The Science Behind Physical Activity Part 1 and Part 2: Sitting and Inactivity | Edward M. Phillips, MD, DipABLM

• Physical inactivity and inadequate exercise are some of the most common preventable causes of morbidity and mortality. If this were a recognized syndrome or diagnosis like hypertension and diabetes it would be easier to educate the public and medical community about the one universally effective treatment for it, physical activity. This unit reviews the use of METS in measuring exercise intensity and fitness, the minimum and maximum levels of exercise, the evidence for the components of physical activity and key physical activity assessment tools. 

Healthcare Providers Role in Physical Activity Counseling Part 1 and Part 2: Filling the Exercise Prescription | Edward M. Phillips, MD, DipABLM

• Promotion of physical activity to sedentary adults in the primary care setting has an impact on physical activity levels. The United States Preventive Services Task Force encourages health care providers to counsel on lifestyle modifications for patients with known risk factors. In this unit, the healthcare provider's role in physical activity counseling is discussed, the physical activity “vital sign” is introduced, and the steps for developing an exercise prescription are reviewed. The key role of the health professional’s personal behavior and role modeling is also emphasized. This unit also describes how to collaborate with patients to promote physical activity change, identifies resources for sustainable behavior change, and reviews the components of writing the exercise prescription.

Physical Activity for Specific Health Conditions Part 1 and Part 2: Physical Activity for the Chronically Ill | Edward M. Phillips, MD, DipABLM

• If inactivity were decreased by 25%, more than one million deaths world-wide could be averted annually. Physical inactivity contributes to coronary heart disease, diabetes, and breast and colon cancers. Evidence-based recommendations exist for different population groups. This unit reviews the treatment of disease with exercise as compared with medication and evidence-based physical activity recommendations for a variety of patient groups and conditions, including children, healthy older adults, pregnancy, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke and disability. 

Introduction to Physical Activity

• Evaluate the potential consequences of physical inactivity, including premature death, preventable disease, and higher healthcare costs
• Differentiate between physical activity and exercise
• Describe distinct types of exercise, including aerobic exercise, strengthening, flexibility, and balance
• Classify various types of physical fitness as outcomes of exercise
• Utilize physical activity guidelines as stated by the Department of HHS in 2018

The Science Behind Physical Activity

• Analyze physical activity assessment tools and identify examples of these tools
• Emphasize the importance of fitness in decreasing the risks of all-cause mortality
• Examine the relationship between fitness and body weight, and identify the protective effects of fitness
• Calculate how much exercise is recommended to experience maximum health benefits
• Examine the correlation between sitting and all-cause mortality risk, as a distinct but related factor to physical activity levels

Healthcare Providers Role in Physical Activity Counseling

• Determine the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of office-based counseling
• Recruit different types of healthcare providers that promote exercise
• Provide supplementary resources that can promote sustained exercise
• Identify barriers to counseling to increase the efficacy and frequency of physical activity counseling
• Utilize physical activity vital signs to assess patients’ current physical activity levels and to inform appropriate healthcare
• provider responses
• Describe the factors that make up a physical activity prescription, such as frequency, intensity, type, and time

Physical Activity for Specific Health Conditions

• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for healthy older adults
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for children and adolescents
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for pregnant and post-partum women
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for patients with heart disease
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for patients with diabetes
• Use evidence-based physical activity guidelines for patients with cancer

Edward M. Phillips, MD, DipABLM
Whole Health Medical Director, VA Boston Healthcare System

Edward M. Phillips, MD, is Assistant Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School and is Founder and Director of the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine (ILM) at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. He serves as Whole Health Medical Director at VA Boston Healthcare System and is integrating lifestyle medicine training for health professional trainees across the VA as National Whole Health Education Champion for Professional Trainees. Phillips is a Fellow of American College of Sports Medicine (FACSM) and serves on the executive council that developed the Exercise is Medicine global initiative. He co-hosted the NPR Daily Exercise Podcast, WBUR’s Magic Pill which was awarded an Edward R. Murrow award for Excellence in Innovation. Phillips is on the Advisory Board of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the Health Sector of the United States National Physical Activity Plan and is a founding committee member of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.

The ACPM designates this enduring material for 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. ACPM is not accredited to offer credit to non-physicians. To determine if activities designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ are acceptable for your licensing or certification needs, please contact your credentialing body directly.

Please note: Continuing Education (CE) for allied health professionals is ONLY available for the full 32-hour program and is NOT available for individual modules. 

This curriculum is applicable for Maintenance of Certification Credit (MOC) by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Additional medical specialty boards are reviewing this new program for MOC credit.  

For physicians to receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for this activity, they must achieve a score of 80% or higher on the post-test and complete the evaluation. Completing the post-test and evaluation will provide ABPM MOC credits as well.

It is the policy of the Rush University Office of Interprofessional continuing Education to ensure that its CE activities are independent, free of commercial bias and beyond the control of persons or organizations with an economic interest in influencing the content of CE.  Everyone who is in a position to control the content of an educational activity must disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest (including but not limited to pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or other corporations whose products or services are related to the subject matter of the presentation topic) within the preceding 12 months. 

Unapproved Uses of Drugs/Devices:  In accordance with requirements of the FDA, the audience is advised that information presented in this continuing medical education activity may contain references to unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices.  Please refer to the FDA approved package insert for each drug/device for full prescribing/utilization information. 

The course directors, planners and faculty of this activity have the following relevant financial relationships to disclose:

Edward M. Phillips, MD, DipABLM: Royalty, Wolters-Kluwer

The information contained in this activity represents the views of those who created it and does not necessarily represent the official view or recommendations of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and American College of Preventive Medicine.

A key concept of the Lifestyle Medicine Core Competencies Program is that it is designed and developed for a broad spectrum of healthcare providers emphasizing the need for a team approach to practicing lifestyle medicine. With this in mind, practitioners from the following professions can benefit from the curriculum:

• Preventive Medicine Physicians
• Primary Care Physicians
• Physician Specialists
• Psychiatrists/Psychologists
• Physician Assistants / Nurse Practitioners
• Registered Nurses
• Physical / Occupation Therapists
• Mental Health Counselors
• Dietitians/ Nutritionists
• Health Educators
• Residents / Medical Students

• $156.16(non-member)
• $87.40(student/resident member)
• $93.52(ACPM subscriber)
• $124.68(member)
  
  This is a self-paced course.