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Intervention strategies needed to promote physical activity in childhood cancer survivors

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Primary care physician–implemented intervention strategies targeted at motivation, fear and affect may promote physical activity in survivors of childhood cancers, according to data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study.

Despite the risks of late effects of childhood cancers, recent data suggested that 20% to 52% of adult survivors are sedentary.

Using data from the study, researchers obtained structural equation modeling of adult survivors who were diagnosed between 1970 and 1986; mean age was 30.98 years. As part of the study, participants answered questions about their physical activity, their physician’s familiarity with cancer-related problems and other issues regarding their health. The structural equation modeling analysis included 366 women and 256 men; the total sample included 838 participants.

According to the researchers, self-reported health fears (P=.01), perceived primary care physician expertise (P=.01), baseline exercise frequency (P≤.001), education level (P=.01), self-reported stamina (P=.01), cancer-related pain (P≤.001), fatigue (P≤.001), age at diagnosis (P=.01), cancer-related anxiety (P≤.001), motivation (P=.01), affect (P=.01) and discussion of subsequent cancer risk with the primary care provider (P≤.001) explained 40% of variance in men’s participation vs. nonparticipation in physical activity.

Among women, self-reported stamina (P≤.001), fatigue (P=.01), baseline exercise frequency (P=.01), cancer-related pain (P≤.001), cancer-related anxiety (P=.01), recency of visits with primary care provider (P<.001), quality of interaction with primary care provider (P=.01) and motivation (P≤.001) explained 31% of variance in participation vs. nonparticipation in physical activity.

Certain factors such as pain, anxiety, fatigue and stamina influenced physical activity independent of sex.

“Gender-tailored intervention strategies in which providers specifically target motivation, fear and affect may support physical activity in childhood cancer survivors,” the researchers wrote.

Cancer. 2008;doi:10.1002/cncr.24043.