Table 2.
Group comparison of physically active and inactive patients
| All (%) (n = 141) | Physically Inactive (%)a(n = 110) | Physically active (%)a(n = 31) | RR (95% CI) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient Reported Barriers | |||||
| “I feel weakened due to my tumor therapy” | 108 (76.6) | 84 (76.4) | 24 (77.4) | 1.09 (0.52–2.27) | 0.807 |
| Missing | 4 (2.8) | 4 (3.6) | |||
| Tiredness/Insomnia b | 101 (71.6) | 78 (70.9) | 23 (74.2) | 1.18 (0.48–2.91) | 0.524 |
| “I think that PA could have a positive impact on my QoL”d | 102 (72.3) | 75 (68.2) | 27 (87.1) | 2.38 (0.90–6.4) | 0.066 |
| Missing | 3 (2.1) | 3 (2.7) | |||
| Fatigueb | 99 (70.2) | 78 (71.6) | 21 (67.7) | 1.12 (0.58–2.17) | 0.825 |
| “I am Interested in an exercise program”d | 75 (53.2) | 51 (46.4) | 24 (77.4) | 2.79 (1.29–6.03) | 0.007 |
| Missing | 5 (3.5) | 5 (4.5) | |||
| “I was physically active before my cancer diagnosis”d | 84 (59.6) | 60 (54.6)) | 24 (77.4) | 2.25 (1.04–4.85) | 0.037 |
| Missing | 2 (1.4) | 2 (1.8) | |||
| “I am motivated for PA”d | 66 (46.8) | 40 (36.4) | 26 (83.9) | 5.56 (2.28–13.71) | < 0.001 |
| Missing | 4 (2.8) | 4 (3.6) | |||
| Clinically significant depression e | 40 (28.4) | 34 (30.9) | 6 (19.4) | 1.65 (0.73–3.72) | 0.262 |
| Fear of adverse events of PA | 38 (26.9) | 33 (30.0) | 5 (16.1) | 1.98 (0.82–4.79) | 0.166 |
| Missing | 7 (5.0) | 6 (5.5) | 1 (3.2) | ||
| Patient Related Barriers | |||||
| ≥ 2 Comorbiditiesc | 92 (65.2) | 79 (71.8) | 13 (41.9) | 1.71 (1.11–2.63) | 0.003 |
| Overweight | 60 (42.6) | 49 (44.5) | 11 (35.5) | 1.01 (0.42–2.54) | 1.000 |
| Missing | 15 (10.6) | 6 (5.4) | 9 (29.0) | ||
| ECOG < 2 | 118 (83.7) | 87 (79.1) | 31 (75.6) | 1.36 (1.22–1.51) | 0.04 |
| Missing | 9 (6.4) | 9 (8.2) | |||
| Age > 65 years | 44 (31.2) | 36 (32.7) | 8 (25.8) | 1.40 (0.57–3.43) | 0.518 |
| Tumor type (breast cancer vs. others) | 28 (19.9) | 17 (15.4) | 11 (35.5) | 3.0 (1.22–7.40) | 0.02 |
Abbreviations: CI confidence interval, CTx cancer therapy, ECOG Eastern Co-operative Oncology Group performance index. FACT-F Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Fatigue, PA physical activity, PHQ8 Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale, QoL Quality of Life, RR relative risk
a Physically inactive = no physical activity at all; Physically active = at least 1 time/week with low Intensity
b FACT-F Score ≤ 34: cut-off point for diagnosis of cancer related fatigue [32]
c Comorbidities were classified in the following categories: Cardiovascular disease, Anemia, Orthopaedic disease, Thyroid gland disease, Pulmonary disease, Diabetes mellitus, Psychiatric disease, Polyneuropathy
d The 5-point scale that was used during the survey was divided into two sections: ‘not at all`/`a little bit` were matched with `low motivation` or `no`; `somewhat`/ `quite a bit`/ `very much’ were matched with `high motivation’ or `Yes`
e A PHQ8-Score ≥ 10 points to clinically relevant depression [35]