Adherence to Structured Exercise Programs in Primary Health Care: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aims to map and characterize the available evidence on adherence to structured exercise programs delivered within Primary Health Care (PHC) settings among adults aged 18 years and older, including older adults. The review will examine the characteristics of exercise programs, reported adherence outcomes, strategies used to promote participation and continued engagement, and factors associated with adherence, including barriers, facilitators, and contextual influences. It will also investigate the terminology, conceptual definitions, operational criteria, indicators, and measurement methods used to describe and assess adherence across studies. Eligible evidence may include experimental, quasi-experimental, observational, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies, as well as relevant experience reports involving structured exercise interventions implemented in PHC settings. Studies published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish will be considered, without an initial publication-date restriction. The findings are expected to provide an overview of how adherence to exercise programs is conceptualized, measured, and reported in PHC, identify gaps in the existing literature, and inform the development and implementation of strategies to support sustained participation in exercise programs. At the time of registration, the review is already underway, with study selection completed and data extraction being prepared. Therefore, this registration documents the review at its current stage rather than constituting a prospective preregistration.