A brief office intervention is associated with increased days per week of exercise

Objective We hypothesized that a cardiologist-initiated motivational discussion during a routine general cardiology clinic visit that included an exercise ‘contract’ signed by the patient, physician and a witness, would increase self-reported days per week of exercise. Methods A short-term pilot intervention was provided to forty consecutive general cardiology clinic patients who were enrolled in 2005. They were asked to answer the question “How many days each week do you exercise” prior to the motivational discussion and at routine follow-up. Each participant signed an exercise ‘contract’ and agreed to exercise for at least 15 min everyday. Results Participants had an average follow-up of 3.2 (1.7) months. The initial visit mean days of exercise per week were 3.1 (1.9). At follow-up, mean days of exercise per week were 4.0 (1.8), (p = 0.04). Conclusion This simple rapid intervention was associated with increased self-reported days per week of exercise.