Assessment of Physical Activity (Counseling) at Primary Health Care Centers in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia

Aim of the Study: To assess the physical activity counseling provided by primary health care physicians in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study that comprised 232 primary health care physicians was conducted in Aseer-Region, Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was adapted and administered to study participants to explorephysicians’ level of physical activity and issues related to physical activity counseling to their clients. Results: Most respondents were males (82.8%), non-Saudis (77.2%). It was noticed that 42% were physically active. A significant relation was found between physical activity counseling and physicians’ physical activity level (p 0.001). Lack of time was the most common barrier for counseling (65. 1 %), followed by lack of training (49.6%) and lack of knowledge (28.4%). Conclusions: Primary health care physicians show support for physical activity counseling to their clients. However, a number of challenges are present, such as time constrains, lack of training and knowledge about physical activity.