Impact of an exercise programme on sustaining physical activity for recovering cancer patients: A qualitative study.

Abstract

Background Pedometers have been shown to improve adherence to exercise programmes. Evidence suggests that PA can improve physical function, wellbeing and reduce the negative impact of some cancer related side-effects. Yet, there are limited PA guidelines for cancer patients in the UK. The aim was to examine the impact of an 8-week exercise programme on sustaining physical activity (PA) at 3-month follow-up. Method A qualitative study with 12 mixed site cancer patients aged 43-70 (10 women, 2 men), involved in an 8-week exercise programme. The Programme took place at a University in the South West of England, UK. 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 the number of patients perceived to be physically active prior to take-up of the physical activity programme were low (20%). At completion, most patients reported being physically active (84%), sustained but to a lesser extent (67%) at 3-month follow-up. Explanations for sustained PA at follow-up included application of knowledge gained from the Programme in relation to walking technique and use of pedometers and perceived health and fitness gains. Explanations for those not physically active included new diagnosis, reduced mobility following surgery and lack of clear exit route or progression to another structured opportunity. Conclusion Our study has provided valuable insight into how a supervised multi-modal physical activity programme can enable recovering cancer patients to develop a physically active lifestyle.

The impact of physical activity for recovering cancer patients

“…The following data analysis techniques were applied to the 3 studies by Queen et al [5,7,8]. The memoranda that emerged from the 3 previous coding processes were used as the method for generating grounded theory in this study.…”

“…The first author advanced theoretical development through selective coding and the application of the axial coding paradigm. For details, see Queen et al, [5,7,8], the fourth author assisted by reviewing this process [27]. Memoranda were used to explore the different dimensions of the emergent themes from the axial coded data and the first author reviewed this process.…”

“…By their nature, physical activity interventions that use qualitative methodologies to collect and analyse patient data for chronic disease such as cancer, fit well with the person-centered healthcare approach to health promotion [24]. Placing patients at the centre of the research and using their experiences to inform, improve and develop services further, not only serves to reduce the financial burden of chronic disease to the NHS, but has also been shown to have a positive impact on patient recovery [5,7,8,26]. Miles & Asbridge [24] have identified the importance of the person-centered healthcare approach in enabling individual clinicians, clinical teams and healthcare systems to assist and accompany patients and their families along their chronic illness trajectories.…”

“…Physical activity is beneficial for cancer survivors health [1][2][3][4][5][6] enabling wide-reaching benefits during and after cancer treatment [5,7,8]. Despite these known benefits physical activity levels across the UK remain low with only 4000 (20%) out of a total of 2 million cancer survivors meeting the minimum recommended physical activity guidelines for sustaining an independent and disability-free lifestyle [9].…”

“…The socio-ecological model of health as developed by Dahlgren & Whitehead [25] places the patient at the centre of the healthcare process and builds systems around them to promote their health and wellbeing. This model has been used effectively to promote the health and wellbeing of chronic disease patients through the medium of physical activity generally and specifically for recovering cancer patients [5,7,8,26]. Therefore, the intention of this paper is to further examine the findings from 3 published studies [5,7,8] in order to draw out a series of key themes and ideas that might be used to inform and enhance the recovery process for cancer patients engaging with a physical activity intervention.…”