Policy statement: Physiotherapists as exercise and physical activity experts across the life span

World Physiotherapy believes that with growing numbers of people leading increasingly sedentary lifestyles and that physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases leading to morbidity,

Disability: The umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. It denotes the negative aspects of the interaction between an individual (with a health condition) and that individual’s contextual factors (environmental and personal factors).

Personal factors are the particular background of an individual’s life and living, and comprise features of the individual that are not part of a health condition or health states, such as: gender, race, age, fitness, lifestyle, habits, coping styles, social background, education, profession, past and current experience, overall behaviour pattern, character style, individual psychological assets and other characteristics, all or any of which may play a role in disability in any level.

Environmental factors are external factors that make up the physical, social and attitudinal environment in which people live and conduct their lives. Disability can be described at three levels: body (impairment of body function or structure), person (activity limitations) and society (participation restrictions).

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, and mortality, it is imperative that effective strategies for  and physical across the lifespan are implemented. As experts in movement and exercise and with a thorough knowledge of risk factors and pathology and their effects on all systems, physiotherapists are the ideal professionals to promote, guide, , and manage and exercise activities and efforts. 

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Policy statement in multiple languages

Policy statement cover thumbnail: Physiotherapists as exercise and physical activity experts across the life span

Physiotherapists as exercise and physical activity experts across the life span

English

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Policy statement cover thumbnail: Physiotherapists as exercise and physical activity experts across the life span (in Japanese)

ライフサイクルにおける運動と身体活動の専門家としての理学療法士

Japanese

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policy statement: physiotherapists as exercise and physical activity experts across the life span (French)

Les kinésithérapeutes en tant qu'experts de l'exercice et de l'activité physique tout au long de la vie

French

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