Since the dawn of the doctor’s visit, taking vital signs has been a mainstay. Height, weight, temperature, heart rate, blood pressure. It’s a routine process that we participate in almost without thinking.
But at Kaiser Permanente, after the blood pressure cuff comes off, you’ll get questions that might surprise you: how many days a week do you exercise moderately or strenuously? How many minutes a day do you exercise at this level?
Come again? At first thought, asking about physical activity levels might seem unorthodox. Unlike other vital signs, it’s measuring a behavior, not a body part. But conventional thinking about health and health care has changed, and systems like Kaiser Permanente recognize that addressing personal behavior and lifestyle is just as important as addressing biology.