Awareness, knowledge, and utilization of Japanese physical activity guidelines among health fitness programmers in Japan

We conducted an anonymous online survey to clarify awareness, knowledge, and utilization of Japanese physical activity (PA) guidelines among certified Health Fitness Programmers who are specialists in exercise guidance for health promotion. Responses were obtained from 415 participants, confirming awareness proportions of > 90% for most items. The mean knowledge score (out of 5 points) was 4.1 (standard deviation 1.1), and 215 participants (51.8%) answered all five items correctly. Regarding the utilization of PA guidelines, > 85% of the participants reported using them in some aspects of their work, and their intentions for future utilization were high (96.9%). These findings provide useful basic data for developing systematic communication strategies to promote PA by certified Health Fitness Programmers based on a deep understanding of PA guidelines.