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

Queen, Martyn, Bloxham, Saul, Brown, Phil, Coyle, Melissa and Jane, Ben (2016) Perceived changes to quality of life indicators following a physical activity intervention for recovering cancer patients: A qualitative study. European Journal of Person Centered Healthcare, 4 (2). pp. 305-315. ISSN 2052-5656

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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.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: Cancer patients, chronic fatigue, distress, grounded theory, living with cancer, person-centered healthcare, physical activity, physical health, psychological health, qualitative, quality of life, recovery, self-efficacy
Divisions: ?? UniversityCollegePlymouthMarkJohn ??
Depositing User: Users 134 not found.
Date Deposited: 16 Sep 2016 13:16
Last Modified: 11 Dec 2020 11:08
URI: https://marjon.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/10176
Related URLs: http://www.ejpc ... ticle/view/1090 (Publisher URL)

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