Objective: To determine if a written exercise prescription increases physical activity when added to verbal advice. Methods:Forty-nine community-dwelling older adults supplied their geriatricians with baseline data on their exercise levels using a questionnaire. Participants were randomly placed in a verbal advice only group or a verbal advice plus written prescription, “green” prescription, group. Outcomes were assessed after 6 weeks. Results:Both groups showed a significant increase in time spent in physical activity. However, no significant differences between groups due to the effects of the different advice modalities were found. Conclusions:Geriatricians can effectively promote physical activity among sedentary older adults through goal-oriented physical activity advice.
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