The effects of physical activity prescription on mental health: evidence from primary care

Hernández-Pizarro, Helena M. and Maynou, Laia ORCID: 0000-0002-0447-2959 (2024) The effects of physical activity prescription on mental health: evidence from primary care. Economics and Human Biology, 55. ISSN 1570-677X

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Abstract

While the benefits of physical activity on health are well documented, in high-income countries 1 in 3 adults do not reach the recommended levels. Thus, policy makers have developed interventions to promote physical activity. The aim of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity prescription on mental health outcomes, by studying an intervention that prescribes physical activity at the primary care level in Catalonia (PAFES). This intervention specifically targets the adult population with high cardiovascular risk. We use data from the Health Survey of Catalonia (2011–2016) and exploit the variation in the number of trained General Practitioners that prescribe physical activity. Our results show that physical activity prescription reduces the probability of suffering from poor mental health. This effect is mainly driven by females within the targeted population. We also explore the main effect (or the output) of the intervention. While PAFES increases the probability of patients undertaking high-level physical activity, it does not affect rates of sedentarism or minutes walked per day. Results are consistent when using alternative mental health outcome measures, including self-reported depression and anxiety. We conclude that the prescription of physical activity not only contributes to the improvement of physical health but is also a useful tool to help preserve mental wellbeing.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Author(s)
Divisions:	LSE Health
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine H Social Sciences
JEL classification:	I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education > I20 - General I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I18 - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare and Poverty > I31 - General Welfare; Basic Needs; Living Standards; Quality of Life; Happiness
Date Deposited:	08 Oct 2024 13:33
Last Modified:	20 Dec 2024 08:39
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/125665

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