Telehealth applied to physical activity during cancer treatment: a feasibility, acceptability, and randomized pilot study.

PURPOSE: Previous studies have underlined the benefits of exercise during cancer therapy. However, patients are insufficiently active during treatment. Telehealth is used to encourage people to be active, reducing difficulties and offsetting the lack of infrastructure often reported. We aimed to identify the effects of recommendations and telehealth on the level of physical activity, fatigue, and quality of life. METHODS: Sixty patients suffering from various cancers under treatment were randomized into two groups. Every Sunday, they had to complete online questionnaires: number of steps, MFI-20, and EORTC-QLQ-30. Group R (recommendations) was given encouragement to improve physical activity during 8 weeks, using a recommendation guide, and received a weekly SMS text message for exercise promotion. Group C, without recommendations, was the control group. RESULTS: Two-way ANOVAs for repeated measures did not reveal effect on the number of steps walked over time; however, the results indicated a beneficial effect for group R related to self-reported fatigue (F = 2.686, p = .01) and quality of life (F = 2.431, p = .02). CONCLUSION: Surprisingly, the level of exercise in group R did not significantly increase, but self-reported fatigue and quality of life were improved. This study underlines that inexpensive sharing of time, human, and financial means, through a protocol of physical activity, improves patient health.

Links between personality, time perspective, and intention to practice physical activity during cancer treatment: an exploratory study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to analyze links between personality, time perspective, and intention to practice physical activity during cancer treatment. METHOD: One hundred forty-three patients participated in survey by questionnaire. Intention to practice physical activity, time perspective using Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, and personality with the Big Five Inventory were measured. Structural equation models using Lisrel were developed to examine hypothetical links between the variables. RESULTS: The adjusted model evidenced an excellent fit (comparative fit index = 0.92; root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.076; P = .014). Results showed that intention to practice exercise was positively linked with openness to experience and negatively with present fatalist time perspective. Moreover, conscientiousness and neuroticism were found to be linked with future time perspective, which was positively related with intention to practice physical activity. CONCLUSION: The present exploratory study with patients suffering from cancer underlined the importance of considering jointly time perspective dimensions and personality factors for health behavior recommendations. Based on our results, we propose some reflections on practice to help nurses and physicians increase patient's motivation to be physically active. Taking into account patients' personality and time perspective, we would be able to propose specific awareness messages and offer short interventions to have an impact on patients' motivation to practice.

[Physical activity during cancer: Can we define participants' profiles?] / Activité physique pendant un cancer : peut-on définir des profils de pratiquants ?

INTRODUCTION: Benefits of physical activity during cancer treatment are widely demonstrated, however, most of patients are not active enough. Several studies have analyzed the different variables that would affect the participation to physical activity programs. The aim of our study was to define profiles of patients who agree to participate in a physical activity program in the medical setting according to the hospital structure in which they receive their care, their past and present habits in sports and their temporal perspectives. METHOD: Forty-six patients treated from two different hospitals (regional hospital denoted CLCC; and local hospital denoted CH), completed a survey consisting of a questionnaire on their past and present habits in physical activity, ZTPI and a demographic questionnaire. Patients could decide to participate or not in a physical activity program in the medical community. T-tests and Chi2 were performed to compare the two groups. RESULTS: Chi2 tests have shown that patients cared in CH are significantly more involved in physical activity program than patients cared in CLCC. DISCUSSION: Our study points out that the past and present patient PA (physical activity) has no influence on their accession to a physical activity program, however the type of hospital providing patient care could influence their participation. These results should lead us to rethink about the different forms of communication made around the physical activity programs in medical contexts, and about different practical arrangements proposed according to each health facility.