Physical exercise in patients with cardiovascular risk: Approximation to the situation from the Community Pharmacy

Introduction: Physical exercise is one of the determinants of health and that should also be part of the treatments of patients with cardiovascular risk.

Objectives: Show degree of information regarding physical exercise of patients with cardiovascular risk and health professionals who attend them.

Find out if they have been prescribed physical exercise.

Promote EF.

Material and methods: Descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study on 40 patients, through an interview with data collection sheet and questionnaire. Other questionnaire is also passed to health professionals of the health center who attend them.

Results: 35% of patients comply with WHO recommendations regarding physical exercise, 95% believe that physical exercise would improve their health problems. Lack of desire is the main reason for not doing more physical exercise (38.46%). 90% say they have not received physical exercise prescription indicating type, frequency, duration and intensity. 78% of health professionals (n = 9) claim to prescribe physical exercise, 55% say they specify type, frequency, duration and intensity. 55% see more training necessary. 89% think that physical exercise acts as a medicine. 65.4% of patients and 100% of health professional believe that the pharmacist could help with the motivation and follow-up of a physical exercise plan.

Conclusions: Our patients seem more sensitized to physical exercise than the general population and almost everyone knows that it is beneficial for their health. They need more motivation to do more physical exercise. The vast majority have not received a prescription for physical exercise although the health professionals say they do so, suggesting disagreement between concepts. Lack of time and training in this field make the prescription and the follow-up of physical exercise not a reality.

Discussion: Citizens know that air pollution affects their health, although they do not receive enough information. The systems used by the administration are not effective and that postulates the community pharmacy as an agent of interest for the distribution of the required information.