[Rethinking exercise prescription in primary care: from physiological dose to health asset].

Authors

Raúl Ferrer-Peña, José Vicente León-Hernández

Published in

Atencion primaria. Volume 58. Issue 11. Pages 103619. Sep 24, 2026. Epub Sep 24, 2026.

Abstract

Population-level evidence on the benefits of physical activity is robust, but its translation into individual clinical practice is not automatic. When exercise prescription in primary care is reduced to a physiological dose without proper assessment of biographical context, motivation, opportunity cost and adequate progression, it ceases to function as an effective preventive intervention and may generate psychological burden, dropout and, in extreme cases, compulsive behaviour. This article proposes a reformulation: prescription should be understood as a complex and individualised behavioural intervention aimed at generating health resources, not as an imposition of minutes. Six minimum components are proposed: biographical context assessment, shared negotiation, tailored progression, sustained behavioural support, cost monitoring and autonomous motivation, applicable across the primary care team, and it is argued that load-based reductionism may constitute an avoidable form of iatrogenesis.

PMID:
42784885
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Sep 2026.

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