Cognitive Therapies for Increasing Physical Activity

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Cognitive therapies have documented effects in a number of health care settings but we do not know if cognitive therapies can increase physical activity.

We evaluated the effect of cognitive therapies on physical activity summarizing studies involving different patient groups and persons at risk of heart disease. Few studies had follow-up times beyond six months.

We found that:

• It is probable, based on moderate-quality evidence, that cognitive therapies lead to small to moderate increases in physical activity. This applies to comparisons with no intervention, usual care, or as an adjunct to exercise or rehabilitation programs.
• It is possible, based on low-quality evidence, that cognitive therapies have a similar effect on physical activity as health education has.

The documentation is too sparse to conclude about the effect of cognitive therapies when directly compared to exercise or rehabilitation.