Professor Karim Khan

Professor Karim Khan, is a Clinical Professor affiliated with the Centre for Musculoskeletal Studies at UWA. He is based in the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility at the University of British Columbia. Prof Khan is the Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, and co-author of the discipline’s bible: Clinical Sports Medicine, now into its 4th edition, published by McGraw-Hill, Australia.

In this lecture podcast, produced during his RAINE Visiting Professorship, he introduces the notion that poor fitness has a profound effect on health (1:15) and in fact contributes significantly to mortality. He challenges the listener to reappraise the health benefits of exercise through large population based studies reviewed in the BJSM (6:10) by his colleague Prof. Steven Blair [1].

Prof Khan provides novel insights into marketing exercise drawing on lessons from the advertising industry, health economics and the anti-smoking movement (27:00). The benefits of exercise are linked to preventing cancers, improving cognition and countering the effects of ‘smokerdiabesity’ (34:00). Drawing upon his own experience, Professor Khan sets out strategies and goals for daily exercise (41:20); he comforts many of us that being fit and overweight is OK (50:05), but that reducing weight is still the objective. He argues that providing exercise advice in primary practice (53:35) should be a key part of every consultation [2]. Reference to related resources shown below.

Podcast (27MB mp3):
How to Supersize exercise: Lessons from Mad Men, The Marlboro Man and Freakonomics.

Lecture Notes (1.1MB pdf):
How to Supersize exercise: Lessons from Mad Men, The Marlboro Man and Freakonomics.

Related resources:

1. Blair, SN. Physical inactivity: the biggest public health problem of the 21st Century. BJSM, 2009; 43: 1-2
2. Khan KM, Weiler R, Blair SN. Prescribing exercise in primary care. BMJ 2011; 343:d4141 doi
3. Physical Activity in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease, 2011 The Swedish National Institute of Public Health
4. Everybody Walk (website)
5. Plus podcast on the BJSM [August 16, 2010] by Professor Steven Blair

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