Physical activity and behavioral symptoms in women with cancer

Background

While cancer patients experience muscular weakness and reduced mobility, and thereby compromising quality of life, several studies found reduced mortality among women with breast cancer engaged in physical activity.

Aims

We investigated cancer patients’ engagement in physical activities, their intentions (Perceived and Intended Effects of Physical Activity [PIEPA] questionnaire: α=0.945; 3 factors: Well-being, Strengthening, Compensation [WBSC]; Physical Stabilisation/Self-Confidence [PSSC]; Emotional Stabilisation/Assertiveness [ESA]), and interconnections between physical activity and depression/anxiety (HADS), fatigue (CFS-D), health-related quality of life (SF-12), life satisfaction (modified BMSLSS), and adaptive coping styles which conceptually refer to the locus of health/disease control (AKU).

Patients

For this survey, 395 women with cancer (82% breast cancer; mean age 60±7 years, mean duration of disease 11±6 years) recruited at a congress of breast cancer support groups in 2007, completed a set of anonymous questionnaires.

Results

At a normal day of the week, 16% were not going for sports, 42% had some activity per day, and 42% lot of. Gymnastics were of major relevance (33% active at least once, 9% several times per week), also walking (14% opw, 11% stpw), Nordic walking (14% opw, 13% stpw), and fitness training (7% opw, 6% stpw). Relevant intentions were doing something good for health, achieving general well-being, staying mobile and fit, and having fun; the main important aims were improvement of hardness, strength, stress relaxation, and social contacts. The sport activities correlated (0.2>r>0.1) negatively with depression and fatigue, and positively with physical health. Particularly, the frequency of Nordic walking, when controlled for age, correlated with life satisfaction aspects overall life and work (r=0.2), physical health (r=0.3), and negatively with physical fatigue (r=−0.2). PSSC correlated (r∼0.2) negatively with fatigue and depression, and positively with physical health, Conscious Living/Positive Attitudes (CLPA), Trust in Medical Help (TMH), and Reappraisal: Illness as Chance. WBSC correlated moderately with CLPA and TMH (r>0.2), weakly with affective fatigue and depression (r=−0.2), and life satisfaction (r=0.2). ESA correlated with Escape from Illness (r=0.2), CLPA, TMH and Reappraisal (r>0.2). Stepwise regression analyses indicated that WBSC can be predicted best by CLPA; PSSC by the absence of depression; and ESA by Reappraisal.

Conclusion

Although the correlations between PIEPA and behavioral indicators were in most cases weak, the usage particularly of Nordic walking correlated with life satisfaction aspects. This nevertheless means to augment self efficacy (in the context of adaptive attitudes and behavioral motives) and physical fitness, which may improve quality of life in cancer survivors.

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