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Perceived changes to quality of life indicators following a physical activity intervention for recovering cancer patients: A qualitative study.

Martyn Queen, Saul Bloxham, Phil Brown, Melissa Coyle, Ben Jane

Abstract


The aim of this study was to examine the perceived changes to the quality of life (QoL) for a group of recovering cancer patients, following 6 months of physical activity.

Background Evidence suggests that physical activity can improve the QoL of recovering cancer patients, reducing many of the side-effects of cancer and its related treatments, including depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue and improve physical and psychological health.

 Method A qualitative study with 14 mixed site cancer patients aged 43-70 (12 women, 2 men). The intervention was in 2 parts the first part was an 8-week physical activity programme, the second part related to a period of non-supervised, physical activity for 4 months (6 months in total). The Programme took place at a university in the South West of England. Semi-structured interviews with patients took place 3 times over 6 months. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse the data.

Results We found that prior to the 6-month physical activity intervention many of the patients were anxious about being able to complete the initial 8 week programme. Anxieties related to low self-esteem and the chronic fatigue resulting from their cancer treatment. Consequently several patients expressed concerns about their ability to help themselves self-manage their recovery through physical activity. On completion of the intervention the majority of patients reported improvements in their perceived QoL relating to their ability to self-manage, their self-efficacy, energy levels, along with decreases in chronic fatigue.

Conclusion Our study has provided valuable insights into how the perceived QoL of a group of recovering cancer patients can be improved through a combined 6-month period of supervised and independent physical activity. These findings serve as further evidence of the effectiveness of a person centred healthcare approach for recovering cancer patients.


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5750/ejpch.v4i2.1090

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