Physical activity and quality of life in adult survivors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the prevalence and correlates of physical activity in adult survivors of aggressive non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) and to explore the association between physical activity level and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

Patients and methods: Physical activity and HRQOL data from 319 survivors of NHL (mean age, 59.8 years, standard deviation, +/-14.8) who were diagnosed in Los Angeles County approximately 2 to 5 years before the study was analyzed.

Results: One quarter of survivors of NHL met public health guidelines of 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous exercise per week. More than half (53%) reported some activity but less than 150 minutes per week, whereas 20% reported no physical activity. Females, those with lower perceived health competence, and individuals with more comorbid limitations were at increased risk for inactivity. Individuals who met public health guidelines reported better HRQOL than those who were sedentary. Interestingly, our findings suggest a significant positive association between HRQOL and those who get at least some exercise.

Conclusion: The effort to promote physical activity among cancer survivors, who are at risk for poor quality of life as a result of treatment, is of great importance to the health of this growing population. As NHL, similar to other cancers, becomes a disease that people live with as opposed to one that people die as a result of, oncologists and primary care physicians will be increasingly challenged to provide evidence-based guidance for the long-term management of the patient's health. Consideration should be given to how clinicians frame exercise-promoting messages to cancer survivors, especially to those who are sedentary.

Fig 1.

Proportion (%) of sample who are sedentary, somewhat active, and active. Somewhat active is defined as 1 to 149 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week (mean, 60 minutes; standard deviation, 13.4 minutes); Active is defined as ≥ 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week.

Fig 2.

General linear model for mental and physical health by exercise level and adjusted for sex, age, marital status, health insurance coverage, and comorbid limitations. (*) Creating two groups from the somewhat-active group on the basis of a mean split for that category (mean, 60 minutes) revealed no significant differences between the two groups on health-related quality of life scores. All independent and dependent variables had < 5% missing data; analyses were based on available data and excluded the patient cases for whom data were missing.

Fig. 3.

General linear model for depression and anxiety by exercise level and adjusted for sex, age, marital status, health insurance coverage, and comorbid limitations. (*) Creating two groups from the somewhat-active group on the basis of a mean split for that category (mean, 60 minutes) revealed no significant differences between the two groups on health-related quality of life scores. All independent and dependent variables had < 5% missing data; analyses were based on available data and excluded the patient cases for whom data were missing.