About Exercise is Medicine
Exercise Is Medicine® On Campus (EIM-OC) calls upon universities and colleges to promote physical activity as a vital sign of health. EIM-OC encourages faculty, staff and students to work together toward improving the health and well-being of the campus community by:
- Making movement a part of the daily campus culture.
- Assessing physical activity at every student health visit.
- Providing students with the tools necessary to strengthen healthy physical activity habits that can last a lifetime.
- Connecting university health care providers with university health fitness specialists to provide a referral system for exercise prescription.
EXERCISE IS MEDICINE
Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem and contributes to a variety of chronic diseases and health complications, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression and anxiety, arthritis, and osteoporosis. In addition to improving a patient’s overall health, increasing physical activity has proven effective in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases.
A CRITICAL CALL TO ACTION
Exercise Is Medicine is an initiative focused on encouraging primary care physicians and other health care providers to include physical activity when designing treatment plans for patients. EIM is committed to the belief that physical activity is integral in the prevention and treatment of diseases and should be regularly assessed and “treated” as part of all medical care.
