Leading doctors have called for patients to be questioned about their level of exercise as often as they are tested for high blood pressure.

 

The move comes amid warnings that physical inactivity is one of the top four causes of death north of the Border.

The Scottish Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties has made a series of recommendations in a new report, aimed at getting the NHS to do more to target so-called couch potatoes, with targets aimed at beginning tackling the problem within two years.

Dr Andrew Murray, physical activity champion for the Scottish Government and clinical leadership fellow at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (RCPS) in Glasgow, said: "Active people have on average seven years more life expectancy as opposed to couch potatoes."

"This report contains common sense, cost effective, concrete recommendations that we aim to work with doctors, nurses, all health professionals, health boards, universities and the Scottish Government among others to implement."

It recommends all health professionals are trained to assess physical activity levels and taught how to advise patients to do more. It calls for walking routes to be provided to patients and staff in the vicinity of all hospitals, and says that by the end of 2015 all medical schools in Scotland should include education on physical activity and changing health behaviour.

By 2016 it says all hospital assessments should include questions about physical activity levels and diet alongside questions about smoking and alcohol.

Earlier this month the RCPS called for physical inactivity to be taken as seriously by GPs as smoking and alcohol misuse.

This call is repeated in the new report, which is now backed by more than a dozen medical colleges including the Faculty of Public Health, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the Faculty of Dental Surgery and the College of Emergency Medicine.

Mr Ian Ritchie, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and chair of the Scottish Academy said: "Scotland's life expectancy is the lowest in Western Europe. Physical inactivity, obesity, smoking and alcohol excess cause a quarter of all deaths and the evidence about the scale of the problem of physical inactivity cannot be ignored."

A recent major European study concluded that twice as many people die each year due to inactivity as fron from obesity, Mr Ritchie said. "It also plays a major role in the development of over 40 diseases such heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, depression and dementia, while conservative estimates state that more than 2500 Scots per year die due too inactivity."

"The priorities of doctors should not only be to provide excellent treatment of disease, but to do more as a health service and professionals to promote health and prevent disease," he added.

Dr Murray said the recommendations were not about medics hectoring patients, but alerting them to risks and giving the best medical advice, in the same way a patient with high cholesterol might be advised of the risks and how to reduce them.

"This is not about telling patients what to do, but we believe it is reasonable if a patient's levels of activity are a concern to mention that it could lead to health problems," he said.

Acting chief medical officer for Scotland Aileen Keel said: "The Scottish Government recognises that increasing physical activity levels in Scotland is a top health priority. We need the help of doctors and other health care professionals to get this on the public's agenda."

She welcomed the report and said ministers will review its recommendations and work with the Academy to "fully embed physical activity for health into health and social care in Scotland."