Characteristics of survey participants
| Characteristic | All | Completed specialist training | NCHD |
| Total (n=595); Mean (SD) n (%) | Total (n=380); Mean (SD) n (%) | Total (n=215); Mean (SD) n (%) | |
| Age (years) | 42.6(12.1%) | 49.0(10.0%) | 31.5(5.7%) |
| 20–34 | 203 (34.4%) | 24 (6.3%) | 179 (83.3%) |
| 35–49 | 213 (36.1%) | 184 (48.4%) | 29 (13.5%) |
| 50–64 | 145 (24.6%) | 139 (36.6%) | 6 (2.8%) |
| 65+ | 29 (4.9%) | 29 (7.6%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| Missing values | 5 (0.8%) | 4 (1.1%) | 1 (0.5%) |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 254 (42.7%) | 188 (49.5%) | 66 (30.7%) |
| Female | 335 (56.3%) | 191 (50.3%) | 144 (67.0%) |
| Prefer not to answer | 6 (1.0%) | 1 (0.3%) | 5 (2.3%) |
| Job title | |||
| Consultant | 316 (53.1%) | ||
| NCHD | 215 (36.1%) | ||
| GP | 55 (9.2%) | ||
| Missing values | 9 (1.5%) | ||
| Postgraduate training hours received on health promotion | |||
| None | 153 (27.6%) | 81 (22.7%) | 72 (36.4%) |
| <4 | 161 (29.0%) | 77 (21.6%) | 84 (42.4%) |
| 4–10 | 76 (13.7%) | 59 (16.5%) | 17 (8.6%) |
| 11–40 | 56 (10.1%) | 45 (12.6%) | 11 (5.6%) |
| >40 | 71 (12.8%) | 61 (17.1%) | 10 (5.1%) |
| Don’t know | 38 (6.8%) | 34 (9.5%) | 4 (2.0%) |
| Postgraduate training hours received on PA counselling | |||
| None | 321 (57.8%) | 184 (51.5%) | 137 (69.2%) |
| <4 | 125 (22.5%) | 78 (21.8%) | 47 (23.7%) |
| 4–10 | 50 (9.0%) | 40 (11.2%) | 10 (5.1%) |
| 11–40 | 16 (2.9%) | 16 (4.5%) | 0 (0.0%) |
| >40 | 25 (4.5%) | 22 (6.2%) | 3 (1.4%) |
| Don’t know | 18 (3.2%) | 17 (4.8%) | 1 (0.5%) |
| Priority placed on PA counselling in practice | |||
| Low/ Very low | 117 (21.1%) | 57 (16.0%) | 60 (30.3%) |
| Medium | 168 (30.3%) | 94 (26.3%) | 74 (37.4%) |
| High/ Very high | 270 (47%) | 206 (57.7%) | 64 (32.3%) |
| Self-rated knowledge of how to perform PA counselling | 5.3 (2.3) | 5.6 (2.3) | 4.9 (2.3) |
| 1–2 (poor) | 68 (12.2%) | 33 (9.2%) | 35 (17.7%) |
| 3–4 | 139 (25.1%) | 85 (23.8%) | 54 (27.3%) |
| 5–6 | 153 (27.6%) | 98 (27.4%) | 55 (27.8%) |
| 7–8 | 149 (26.9%) | 108 (30.2%) | 41 (20.7%) |
| 9–10 (excellent) | 46 (8.3%) | 33 (9.2%) | 13 (6.5%) |
| Self-rated confidence to perform PA counselling | 5.3 (2.4) | 5.7 (2.3) | 4.7 (2.3) |
| 1–2 (poor) | 73 (13.1%) | 36 (10.1%) | 37 (18.7%) |
| 3–4 | 142 (25.6%) | 81 (22.7%) | 61 (30.8%) |
| 5–6 | 150 (27%) | 97 (27.2%) | 53 (26.7%) |
| 7–8 | 136 (24.5%) | 102 (28.6%) | 34 (17.2%) |
| 9–10 (excellent) | 54 (9.7%) | 41 (11.5%) | 13 (6.5%) |
| Self-rated efficacy in altering patients’ PA habits | |||
| Very ineffective | 47 (8.5%) | 22 (6.2%) | 25 (12.6%) |
| Ineffective | 277 (49.9%) | 154 (43.1%) | 123 (62.1%) |
| Effective | 212 (38.2%) | 167 (46.8%) | 45 (22.7%) |
| Very effective | 19 (3.4%) | 14 (3.9%) | 5 (2.5%) |
| Level of familiarity with the National PA Plan | |||
| Yes, I’m familiar with it | 56 (10.1%) | 44 (12.3%) | 12 (6.1%) |
| Yes, I’ve heard of it but haven’t read it | 181 (32.6%) | 135 (37.8%) | 46 (23.2%) |
| No, I’m not familiar with it | 318 (57.3%) | 178 (49.9%) | 140 (70.7%) |
| Recommended weekly levels of PA | |||
| Less than 90 min | 145 (26.0%) | 85 (23.8%) | 60 (30.3%) |
| 150 min | 356 (64.1%) | 232 (65.0%) | 124 (62.6%) |
| 300 min | 54 (9.7%) | 40 (11.2%) | 14 (7.1%) |
GP, general practitioner; NCHD, non-consultant hospital doctor; PA, physical activity.