Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Nov;26(11):3755-3763.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-018-4239-5. Epub 2018 May 29.

Patterns, perceptions, and perceived barriers to physical activity in adult cancer survivors

Lawson Eng  1   2   3 , Dan Pringle  2 , Jie Su  2   4 , XiaoWei Shen  2   4 , Mary Mahler  2 , Chongya Niu  2 , Rebecca Charow  2 , Kyoko Tiessen  2 , Christine Lam  2 , Oleksandr Halytskyy  2 , Hiten Naik  1   2 , Henrique Hon  2 , Margaret Irwin  2 , Vivien Pat  2 , Christina Gonos  2 , Catherine Chan  2 , Jodie Villeneuve  2 , Luke Harland  2 , Ravi M Shani  2 , M Catherine Brown  2 , Peter Selby  5   6   7   8 , Doris Howell  2 , Wei Xu  2   4   5 , Geoffrey Liu  9   10   11   12 , Shabbir M H Alibhai  3 , Jennifer M Jones  1   2   5
Affiliations

Patterns, perceptions, and perceived barriers to physical activity in adult cancer survivors

Lawson Eng et al. Support Care Cancer. 2018 Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) during and after cancer treatment is associated with improved cancer- and non-cancer-related outcomes. We assessed for predictors of change in PA levels among cancer survivors.

Methods: Adult cancer survivors from a comprehensive cancer center completed a one-time questionnaire retrospectively assessing PA levels before, during, and after cancer treatment along with their perceptions of PA. Multivariable logistic regression models evaluated the association of clinico-demographics variables and perceptions of PA with changes in whether patients were meeting PA guidelines after cancer diagnosis.

Results: Among the 1003 patients, 319 (32%) met moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) guidelines before diagnosis. Among those meeting guidelines before diagnosis, 50% still met guidelines after treatment; 12% not meeting MVPA guidelines initially met them after treatment/at follow-up. Among patients meeting guidelines before diagnosis, better ECOG performance status at follow-up, receiving curative therapy, and spending a longer time on PA initially were each associated with meeting guidelines at follow-up. After controlling for other variables, perceiving that PA improves quality of life (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 11.09, 95%CI [1.42-86.64], P = 0.02) and overall survival (aOR = 8.52, 95%CI [1.12-64.71], P = 0.04) was each associated with meeting MVPA guidelines during/after treatment, in patients who did not meet guidelines initially. Only 13% reported receiving counseling, which was not associated with PA levels. Common reported barriers to PA included fatigue, lacking motivation, and being too busy.

Conclusions: Patient perceptions of PA benefits are strongly associated with improving PA levels after a cancer diagnosis. Clinician counseling should focus on patient education and changing patient perceptions.

Keywords: Cancer survivorship; Counseling; Patient perceptions; Physical activity.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. BMJ. 2012 Jan 30;344:e70 - PubMed
    1. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2018 Jan;144(1):1-12 - PubMed
    1. Dis Colon Rectum. 2008 Aug;51(8):1242-8 - PubMed
    1. Health Educ Q. 1988 Summer;15(2):175-83 - PubMed
    1. J Cancer Surviv. 2010 Jun;4(2):119-27 - PubMed