Behavioral and Social Approaches to Increase Physical Activity: Social Support Interventions in Community Settings

Task Force Finding*

These interventions focus on changing physical activity behavior through building, strengthening, and maintaining social networks that provide supportive relationships for behavior change, specifically physical activity. This change can be achieved either by creating new social networks or by working within pre-existing networks in a social setting outside the family, such as the workplace. Interventions typically involved setting up a “buddy” system, making “contracts” with others to complete specified levels of physical activity, or setting up walking or other groups to provide friendship and support.

These programs are strongly recommended because of their effectiveness in increasing physical activity (specifically the time spent exercising and frequency of exercise) and improving physical fitness among adults. Other positive effects include increases in muscular strength and flexibility and decreases in adiposity. No harms were reported, and no qualifying economic information was identified from the literature.

*From the following publication:

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to increase physical activity in communities. [PDF - 70KB] Am J Prev Med 2002;22 (4S):67-72.

Review completed: February 2001