2018 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 111-120
Purpose: To clarify the immediate effect of counseling focused on motivation to exercise by physiotherapists in health classes after a specific health checkup. Methods: The subjects were participants in either two health classes (n = 74), who underwent a specific health checkup in Fuefuki-city in 2016.The data were analyzed using the Visual Analog Scale( 100 mm) for changes in the degree of confidence and conviction in class before and after the intervention. Further, the factors inhibiting exercise habits were extracted from our counseling records. Results: The intervention significantly affected confidence (mean difference 19.0 mm, p ≺ 0.0001) and conviction( mean difference 6.0 mm, p ≺ 0.0001). The exercise-inhibiting factors were pain (n = 25), environmental factors (n = 25), lack of knowledge (n = 18), recognition or value( n = 12), and other diseases( n = 8). Conclusions: This study suggests that immediate effect of counseling by an expert in exercise can significantly improve increasing confidence and conviction. Further, the improvement of confidence was particularly high. This result is believed to reveal the factors inhibiting exercise habits, and participants' confidence increased by eliminating those factors. Intervention by an exercise expert may be important for health classes.