Barriers to physical activity counseling reported by primary health care professionals of two cities in the south of Brazil.

This study aimed to verify the association between sociodemographic and job characteristics, knowledge, physical activity (PA) level, counseling, the city, and each barrier to PA counseling reported by professionals in Primary Health Care (PHC) in Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two cities in the south of Brazil, with a representative sample of 497 community health workers (CHWs - 44.2%), nurses (29.4%), and physicians (26.4%) who worked in 64 Basic Health Units (BHUs). The most reported barriers were the "lack of time" (54%), "lack of educational material" (47%), and "lack of knowledge or training" (45%). The "lack of time" was higher among professionals 18-39 years old (63% vs 42%, p < 0.001), those with complete university degrees (65% vs 30%, p < 0.001), physicians (71% vs 63% in nurses, and 30% in CHWs, p < 0.001), and those who worked at a BHU ≤ 36 months (68% vs 45%, p < 0.001). The "lack of evidence of the PA benefits" was significantly associated with 73% of predictors explored (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the barriers vary according to health professionals' characteristics.