PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY IN MINNESOTA PHYSICIANS

Methods. A survey inquiring about physical activity was mailed to a random sample of 500 physicians who were current members of the Minnesota Medical Association. Results. Overall, 65.6% of the 393 respondents reported performing regular exercise, while 38.2% participated in exercise vigorous enough to be of cardiovascular benefit (at least three times per week, at least 15-30 min per session, and strenuous enough to cause sweating or shortness of breath). Men reported a significantly higher prevalence of regular exercise and cardiovascular exercise than did women. There was no significant relationship between the prevalence of either regular exercise or cardiovascular exercise and age, specialty, the percentage of primary care performed, the number of patients seen per day, or the number of hours worked per week. Conclusions. The prevalence of physical activity was higher among physicians in this survey compared with levels reported for the general population. © 1992.