Exercise Promotion Practices among Mental Health Professionals: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Mental health professionals (MHPs) have a unique opportunity to integrate PA and exercise promotion into clinical care. This scoping review employed the information-motivation-behavioral Skills (IMB) model to examine the exercise promotion practices of MHP. An electronic search of four major databases from 2007 to August 2020 was conducted and results were reported using PRISMA. Seventeen studies were included where the variables of interest were knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding exercise promotion. MHP expressed a need for additional training and the integration of exercise specialists to care for the physical health of patients. Practitioners need additional education to understand the guidelines for exercise prescription for individuals with SMI and the role exercise could have in improving the quality of life for their patients. Findings were conceptualized utilizing the IMB model to inform future quantitative measures and health behavior interventions.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to express gratitude to their doctoral committee, especially co-chairs, Drs. Marcus Kilpatrick and Robert Dedrick, for their support and initial feedback on the original version of this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.