{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T08:20:50Z","timestamp":1789114850983,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Wiley","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789084800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789084800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Internal Medicine Journal"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n Physical inactivity is a leading preventable cause of chronic disease in Australia. Exercise prescription by physicians increases patients\u2019 physical activity, but implementation is inconsistent, and barriers among Australian physicians are not well characterised.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Aims<\/jats:title>\n To investigate barriers and facilitators to exercise prescription among Australian general practitioners (GPs) and endocrinologists and to identify physician characteristics associated with prescription frequency.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n Cross\u2010sectional survey of 118 Australian GPs (\n n<\/jats:italic>\n =\u200959) and endocrinologists (\n n<\/jats:italic>\n =\u200959) recruited via purposive and snowball sampling (December 2021\u2013December 2022). Chi\u2010squared tests examined associations with prescription frequency; logistic regression adjusted key associations for specialty, age and physicians\u2019 own activity levels.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Of 118 physicians, 59% prescribed physical activity to \u226561% of eligible patients (high prescribers). The strongest correlate was systematic assessment of patients\u2019 physical activity (81% vs 43% high prescribers; adjusted odds ratio (OR) 5.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.04\u201314.80). Physicians doubting guideline feasibility were less likely to prescribe (46% vs 76%; adjusted OR 3.20, 95% CI: 1.17\u20138.75), and feasibility scepticism was associated with physicians\u2019 own activity: 74% of those meeting guidelines believed them feasible versus 27% of those who did not (\n P<\/jats:italic>\n <\u20090.001). Written prescriptions and perceived patient disinterest remained associated with prescription frequency after adjustment; associations for training and time barriers attenuated. Knowledge of guidelines was not associated with prescription frequency.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Systematic assessment practices and physicians\u2019 feasibility beliefs may be more important to exercise prescription than guideline knowledge. Physicians\u2019 own exercise habits are associated with their beliefs about what is feasible for patients, with implications for the design of medical education.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/imj.70634","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T07:23:46Z","timestamp":1789111426000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Barriers to exercise prescription among Australian general practitioners and endocrinologists: a cross\u2010sectional survey"],"prefix":"10.1111","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-5496-2363","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Isobelle","family":"Smith","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Endocrinology Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Sydney New South Wales Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4926-4050","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lucy","family":"Ding","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Endocrinology Royal North Shore Hospital Sydney New South Wales Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gimhani","family":"Abeygunaselkara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Endocrinology The Canberra Hospital Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0369-4621","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adrian","family":"Bauman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health The University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_8_2_1","volume-title":"Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2010"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_3_1","volume-title":"Physical Activity","author":"Australian Institute of Health and Welfare","year":"2024"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_4_1","volume-title":"Australian Burden of Disease Study: Impact and Causes of Illness and Death in Australia 2018","author":"Australian Institute of Health and Welfare","year":"2021"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"346","DOI":"10.1111\/1753-6405.13227","article-title":"Geographic remoteness and socioeconomic disadvantage reduce the supportiveness of food and physical activity environments in Australia","volume":"46","author":"Darcy M","year":"2022","journal-title":"Aust N Z J Public Health"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"793","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.326.7393.793","article-title":"Effectiveness of counselling patients on physical activity in general practice: cluster randomised controlled trial","volume":"326","author":"Elley CR","year":"2003","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.e1389","article-title":"Effectiveness of physical activity promotion based in primary care: systematic review and meta\u2010analysis of randomised controlled trials","volume":"344","author":"Orrow G","year":"2012","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_8_1","article-title":"Physician advice for smoking cessation","volume":"5","author":"Stead LF","year":"2013","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst Rev"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e125","DOI":"10.3399\/bjgp11X561249","article-title":"Are physical activity interventions in primary care and the community cost\u2010effective? 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