Author(s): KENNEDY, W., Institution: NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, Country: UNITED STATES, Abstract-ID: 2302

Introduction
Physical therapists (PTs) work with diverse populations to promote function, activity participation, and quality of life. PTs are also positioned to provide physical activity (PA) promotion; however, it has been suggested that they do not consistently do this with their patients. Investigation into barriers to including PA promotion in PT clinical practice have found that knowledge, time and resources are consistent barriers. One important consideration that has not been included in this area of research is how PTs conceptualize PA promotion in clinical practice. Understanding how PTs conceptualize PA promotion can lead to the development of strategies and tools to increase the consistency in which PA promotion is implemented in clinical practice.
Methods
Semi-structured virtual interviews were conducted. Participating licensed PTs were purposively recruited from a national survey sample to reflect diverse demographics and professional settings in the United States. Participants were given a list of PA promotion approaches that were considered typical within PT practice, and then asked to provide feedback. Inductive thematic analysis was used for qualitative analytical approach. Trustworthiness was established by use of reflexivity, triangulation, and memos to serve as an audit trail.
Results
A total of 10 participants completed the interviews. Most of the sample worked in outpatient clinical settings. The sample was evenly split between PTs working primarily with adults and those working primarily with children. There were two overarching themes that emerged from the interviews. 1) Specific guidelines on PA promotion are needed and should be tailored to specific clinical settings and patient populations; and 2) PTs should be leaders in PA promotion but must become better at it. Additional themes include the process of engaging in PA promotion and access to community resources also emerged.
Discussion
The findings revealed that participants have a wide range of perspectives on what PA promotion is. PTs expressed lacking some knowledge on how to promote PA wholistically. For example, when participants were given several ways that they could promote PA, they were only familiar with some of the suggestions. Participants did express that all of the suggestions were appropriate for the clinical setting and can support their patients in engaging in PA. Further, some participants recommended that PA promotion guidelines that are tailored to specific patient populations and clinical settings would support engaging in PA promotion with their patients. Participants believed that PTs should be leaders in clinical PA promotion but acknowledged that support is needed to ensure that they can engage in it efficaciously. The findings of the study implicate that to support the PA promotion in PT clinical settings, specific guidelines are needed to support knowledge and skill development, which in turn support PTs becoming leaders in clinical