Physiotherapists lack knowledge of the WHO physical activity guidelines. A local or a global problem

Abstract Background Physical inactivity is a significant cause of premature deaths globally, yet many physiotherapists)PT's) have little knowledge of the World Health Organization's physical activity guidelines (PA). Objectives To assess the knowledge of Israeli PT's regarding the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendations for PA for adults and adolescents. Secondary aims were to determine how many Israeli PT's, are recommending PA for their patients and to evaluate the knowledge level of Israeli PT's in relation to PT's in other countries. Design Cross-sectional online survey. Participants Of the 1413 Israeli PT's offered the survey, 1062 (75%) completed it, which represents 16.4% of the 6450 licensed PT's in Israel. Results A mere 6.8% physiotherapists were aware of the WHO-recommended level of adult PA, and only 4% were knowledgeable of the recommendations for adolescents. Novice PT's (5 > years of experience) knew significantly more about adult PA recommendations (P  Conclusions Israeli PT's have poor knowledge of the WHO's adults and adolescent guidelines for PA. Lack of knowledge among PT's regarding the WHO's PA guidelines is a recurrent global problem that requires immediate attention.