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Post-treatment exercise counseling and programming preferences of women living with breast cancer

University of British Columbia

Background: The 5-year overall survival rate for women with early detected breast cancer is 87%. Many of these women, however, live with physical and psychosocial sequelae from breast cancer and its treatments. Health care needs of this growing population have fueled research on cancer survivorship including interventions, such as exercise, that can lead to improved quality of life (QOL). Nevertheless, despite demonstrated physical, mental and QOL benefits of exercise among persons with breast cancer, low levels of adoption and adherence remain a reality. Study Aim: The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the exercise counseling and programming preferences of women who have completed treatments for breast cancer in British Columbia (BC). Methods: A self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) was mailed to 472 randomly selected women living with stage 0,1, II or III breast cancer, greater than 3 months post-treatment. The 54-item questionnaire identified exercise behaviours, counseling and programming preferences, demographic and medical variables. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze study data. Results: Overall, 70% of participants preferred or maybe preferred to receive exercise counseling at some point during their cancer experience. The majority of respondents preferred to receive exercise counseling face to face (87%), from an exercise specialist affiliated with a cancer centre (60%). As for exercise program preferences, the greatest number of respondents preferred walking (46%), at a moderate-intensity (66%), outdoors (33%). Sixty-three percent of participants were interested or maybe interested in regularly attending (at least 3 times/week) an exercise program for women living with breast cancer. Discussion and Conclusions: Although a majority of respondents were interested in some type of exercise, results from this study indicate that women living with breast cancer who are post-treatment have unique exercise preferences. Accounting for these preferences when creating and prescribing exercise programs for women living with breast cancer may result in increased adoption and long-term adherence. Preferences to receive in-person exercise counseling and to begin a moderate-intensity exercise program following treatment offer a realistic starting point for women to adopt a lifelong pattern of exercise. Implications for cancer care professionals are explored and recommendations are provided for future research.

Text

2011-02-23

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/31655

Rehabilitation Sciences

University of British Columbia

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