It is widely known today that exercise and fitness can help prevent and treat various diseases. But how strong is the evidence to support this? Not that long ago, bed rest was prescribed to patients with cardiovascular and respiratory disease. And exercise was considered by many health professionals as something dangerous to be avoided. Today, exercise is an integral part of patient treatment.

In this free, two-week course, we will examine the evidence that changed perceptions among many health care professionals towards exercise as a tool to prevent and treat disease. We will look back at how physical activity guidelines evolved for adults, older adults, and children. And the research supporting and informing these guidelines. Trinity College School of Medicine is an international leader in postgraduate education with a strong research focus. This course will be delivered by academic staff in the Department of Physiology and the discipline of physiotherapy. This course has a strong foundation in physiology.

To fully understand the effects of exercise as a treatment tool, we will describe the responses of the heart, vasculature, brain, and muscular skeletal system to exercise, and consider how physiological changes translate to meaningful health benefits. Considerations needed when prescribing exercises to specific clinical populations will be addressed, including those with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, clinical paediatric conditions, those with mental health problems, and cancer. Appropriate exercise prescription can help specific conditions and symptoms. But despite this, physical activity levels in many clinical populations are very low. Of course, a better way to look at it would be that this is an area with room for improvement and improved physical activity levels and cardiorespiratory fitness can greatly enhance patient health.

As part of this online course, we will discuss the safety of exercise and how to reduce the risks associated with exercise specific to clinical populations. Learn how physical activity guidelines have evolved, and how exercise can enhance the health of various patient populations, and be used to treat and prevent disease.