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Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Daily Overview

Session

WR1_1_3: Abstract presentations: Equity and Inclusion in Physical Activity and Health
Location: White room 1
Session Chair: Evan Matthews

Presentation 5

3:50pm - 4:00pm

Exploring the design and delivery of virtual physical activity counselling programmes: a scoping review

Hillary Banjo¹, Carolyn Summerbell¹, Lisa Ware², Deja Spears³, Mildred Ajebon⁴, Kate Hampshire⁵, Mark Stoutenberg^1,6

1: Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK; 2: South African Medical Research Council/University of Witwatersrand Developmental Pathways to Health Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 3: Department of Kinesiology, Temple University, Philadelphia, United States; 4: Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, UK; 5: Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK; 6: Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Durham University, Durham, UK

Background: Physical activity (PA) counselling can be an effective strategy to reduce inactivity. With the rapid expansion of telehealth, PA counselling is increasingly delivered virtually, offering useful benefits where access to in-person services may be limited, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Objectives: This scoping review explored key characteristics, integration pathways, delivery platforms, and theoretical underpinnings of virtual PA counselling programmes.

Methods: Five databases and five journals were searched in April 2025 for primary studies reporting characteristics of virtual PA counselling. All study designs except reviews were included and no restrictions were placed on publication date or language. The review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported following the PRISMA-ScR checklist.

Results: In total, 1,066 records were screened, 39 studies were included. Most studies were conducted in high-income countries (n=38), primarily involving clinical populations (n=30) or inactive adults (n=9), with the majority (n=25) published after 2020. Virtual PA counselling was commonly integrated into healthcare pathways via clinician referral (n=9), although several studies recruited participants through social media and physical advertisements (n=9). Telephone-based counselling was the most frequently used delivery platform (n=12), followed by Zoom (n=4). The most common theoretical frameworks and models used included the Social Cognitive Theory (n=7), and the Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change (n=3).

Conclusions: This review identifies scalable, theory-informed models for delivering virtual physical activity counselling through healthcare and community settings. These insights can inform the design and implementation of accessible, theory-informed PA counselling programmes, particularly in SSA.