ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY EFFECTIVENESS IN INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND FUNCTION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

K. Nurmi1, B. Nwaru2, G. Rovner3,4
1Vasa Central Hospital, Vasa, Finland, 2Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden, 3Karolinska Institutet, Physiotherapy, Stockholm, Sweden, 4ACT Institutet Sweden AB, Gothenburg, Sweden

Background: Physical inactivity accounts for a massive health burden globally, and the maintenance of good physical function (PF) determines the quality of life among those suffering from chronic conditions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) shows effectiveness in various life-style interventions (i.e. smoke-cessation & weight-loss); however, it is not known if ACT can promote physical activity (PA) among them.

Purpose: Is ACT effective to promote PA & PF? How are these measured?

Methods: A systematic review including - original English ACT articles or theses - on adults - pre- and postintervention PA/PF measures

Results: Twenty-six articles: overall moderate quality and Effect Sizes: medium to large 
  1. Increased PA -sedentary oversized women, 6-articles -diabetes and colorectal cancer survivors -but not among chronic pain patients, those with bariatric surgery, or at risk for cardiac diseases. 
  2. Increased PF: -in young athletes, 3articles -chronic pain, 2 articles PA/PF Measurement methods: too varied to perform a meta-analysis. Self -reported instead of objectively measured.

Conclusion(s): ACT promotes PA and PF, both aspects essential to prevent and treat chronic conditions such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, pain, etc. However, ACT research does not consider them as primary outcomes nor uses objective measures, which are the only way to gather realistic PA and PF. Self-rating only measures the capacity to recall one's physical activity!

Implications: It is important to raise awareness of the importance of behavioral skills among physiotherapists as well as the imperative need to promote physical activity among psychologists, both in the clinical realms as wellas in the research arena. 

Funding, acknowledgements: Renee Eanders' Fond, under the Swedish Physiotherapy Association 

Keywords: Behavioral -based physiotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Topic: Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity

Did this work require ethics approval? No
Institution: Gothenburg University
Committee: Gothenburg University
Reason: Review


All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.

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