[Promoting physical activity in overweight and obese patients: counseling in primary care from Italy (Cesena, 2002--2003)].

Lack of physical activity and obesity represent important public health problems. The objectives of the current study is to evaluate the effects of a counseling intervention (the PACE protocol) conducted by general practitioners and designed to motivate persons who are overweight or obese to increase their levels of physical activity. The counseling was offered 145 patients with a BMI > or =27 who were seen between May 2002 and April 2003 in the offices of 10 general practioners. The intervention, which lasted 3-5 minutes, was conducted during routine visits, based on the Prochaska-DiClemente model of behavioral change. Changes in the motivation of the patients to engage in physical activity and actual changes in levels of activity were measured, as were BMI and abdominal circumference. The median followup was 9 months. Among the 145 eligible patients, 103 (71%) agreed to particpate. Six months following the counselling, there was a significant change in both the motivational status and physical activity of the group, and they experienced significant decreases in BMI and abdominal circumference. Counseling using the PACE model appears to positively influence levels motivation and of physical activity in those patients who agreed to participate. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy in other settings and the public health benefits of such counseling.