ABSTRACT
Physical activity promotion for mental health is a new area for health service professionals to consider. As with any new venture, barriers may impede its progress. Firstly, there are attitudinal barriers that are related to the status of physical activity and beliefs as to its efficacy in promoting psychological well-being. On consideration of their review of the evidence in the US, Tkachuk and Martin (1999) were surprised that ‘exercise’ had not become a more popular treatment for certain mental health conditions. Similarly, in the UK there are likely to be factors that constrain the development of physical activity as an accepted element of interventions to promote psychological well-being.
