The High Authority for Health wants to encourage doctors to prescribe physical activity to patients

Physical activity is essential for good health. This is what the High Authority for Health recalls, which has just published a new prescription and consultation guide for the medical profession. The goal? Encourage physicians to prescribe physical activity to their patients as non-drug therapy.

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“Sport is first and foremost a public health tool“, recalled the former Minister of Sports and doctor Valérie Fourneyron in an interview for POSITIVR in June. Indeed, as the HAS points out, sports practice limits the risk of recurrence of certain breast cancers and halves the risk of going from a prediabetic state to diabetes, among other things…

“Physical activity should definitely be seen as a treatment in its own right and be prescribed as such.”

The High Authority for Health in its communiqué

Many steps in this direction have already been taken, recalls the institution, starting with theadoption of March 2, 2022 of the Health Sport law which paves the way for the prescription of Adapted Physical Activity (APA). An important step which nevertheless requires support from the medical profession to allow doctors to really take ownership of this new therapeutic tool, which has been relegated to second place for too long, behind drug treatments.

Physical activity | The doctor’s role is essential in raising awareness among people furthest from PA: people with long-term illnesses, people suffering from chronic illnesses, frail elderly people, people with disabilities. pic.twitter.com/Qx9Sx7Dr3Z

– High Authority for Health (@HAS_sante) September 6, 2022

It is therefore to provide specialists with the necessary information that HAS has decided to publish a guide as well as detailed prescription help sheets for each pathology. Indeed, if sports activity can do wonders, it is essential that each prescription is adapted to the type of disease and its stage of advancement. Cancer, diabetes, overweight, asthma, hypertension, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, depression, pregnancy and postpartum are particularly concerned by the guidelines of the institution.

As a patient, you can also discover the resources made available by HAS, this way.